Even though Heron had agreed to their plans, Jack wasn't able to set sail for another two days. For one, there was a lack of real food in West Sorella as most of the farms had been destroyed by Daimanos' men. It took that much time just to gather enough food to sustain an expedition into the interior for men who were already half-starved. Secondly, they were far short on bullets as well. The men even resorted to scavenging the remains of the East Sorellan weapons from the battle and taking what they could.

All that meant was that the surprise Jack had hoped to make upon the East Sorellans was generally drifting out of his control. He hoped they would still be able to get down the coast and attack the fort as long as momentum stayed in their favor.

Another factor to contend with was the damage sustained by the Valiant on its escape from the East Sorellan harbor. The ship had taken some hits to its structure and its deck bore the great, charred remains of the artillery strikes. One hit landed midship and caused serious damage to the deck to the point that there wasn't any way to walk along that side of the ship. Still, the damage was mostly cosmetic and could be fixed with the proper materials once in dry dock.

What was most troubling was the casualties. The Valiant lost a combined twenty-four men during the action, many of whom were on the deck during the cannon fire. The worst part of it was that his old friend, Luke Ravencross, had been wounded as well, and as Kim had told him, the commander was thrown several yards by the blast of the gun.

Thankfully, Luke had pulled through. Jack had visited him in the ship's infirmary upon their arrival in West Sorella and despite some mild lacerations and some contusions, he would survive. He also had no doubt too that Kim would do her own part in nursing the man back to good health.

On the evening of the second day, Jack gathered together his own war council to decide on the plan for attacking the East Sorellan fort. They had been cleared to move out in the morning for their attack and now that the West Sorellans had their stocks of food and ammunition, a great number of them boarded the Destiny to be dropped off on the coast in the morning. The other half of their number would be traveling lightly by foot, hoping to cross the distance through the night and be in place by the morning for the attack.

Joining his council were the senior officers from all the ships as well as the minister Nikias and the king's daughter Elektra. Electra herself cut an especially impressive figure, her wavy, auburn hair and long legs catching the attention of every sailor who happened across her path. Yet Jack could tell by her steely disposition that she was just as committed to attaining revenge for her father and would perform well in the coming battle.

"Thank you all for coming," said Jack while standing close to a map of the Sorellan coast. Displayed prominently on the map was the location of the eastern fort as well as the position of the local prisoner camp nearby. Jack had sketched in the positions of the coastal artillery that he had seen on their sail by several days ago and had drafted his own plan of attack.

"Tomorrow will be the big day that we kick off the offensive against Daimanos and this is our target right here." Jack tapped at the map where the icon of the fort was located.

"As you can see, this fort is the center of Daimanos' power in the interior of the island. Nothing else like it exists on any part of the island from here all the way back to his capitol. We know that the recent attack on West Sorella originated out of this fort, and we know it to be a major staging area for his forces. It is more than likely that the forces who escaped the battle have taken refuge here."

"So we know all those bastards are holed up in there," said Luke, the only one who remained seated because of his recent wounds. "What are we going to do about it?"

"Two things," said Jack while pointing back to his map. "We're going to put it under a combined land and sea offensive. In the early morning hours, we are going to drop the marines off just down the coast and have them rendezvous with the West Sorellan forces that are headed there now on foot. Once they combine together, these ground forces will surround the fort and await the start of the sea bombardment."

"How are we going to do that, Jack?" asked Vicky. "It looks like they have a lot of artillery on the coast."

"They do," said Jack with a nod. "When we sailed by, I counted at least ten coastal guns, all looking to be larger caliber weapons. What's worse is that they can easily pivot in their placements and bring rapid fire to bear on just about any direction from the sea."

"This sounds like the harbor battle again, just on repeat," said Luke.

"Not necessarily. Because this time, we are going to have bait," said Jack.

"I don't like the sound of this," said Abigail.

Jack smiled and then continued. "One of our ships is going to sail in close and draw the attention of the guns while the other two dial in their positions and prepare to fire. I need a fast-moving, highly-maneuverable ship that get in close and stay one step ahead of their gunners."

Vicky shot him a knowing look. "It sounds like you're asking for a destroyer, Jack."

He began to nod his head. "That's exactly what I need, Vicky. Only the Tiger can perform the way that I need it to for this ruse to succeed. You'll get in there fast, and keep your five inch guns trained on the shore to act as covering fire. My thoughts are that they'll be so focused on keeping you busy that they won't have time to go after the cruisers."

"What about the land forces, Jack?" asked Elektra. "What will be our signal to attack."

"We'll go as soon as the bombardment starts. We'll catch them right at daybreak and with a heavy artillery shelling. They should be easy pickings at that range."

"What if we need reinforcements?" asked Nikias. "What do we do if we don't have enough men to take the fort?"

Jack pursed his lips. "Unfortunately, every man that we can spare is committed to this operation. But I will say this—if you find any position being too hard to crack, stand back and radio your commanding officer. We'll have direct communication with the ships out at sea. Once the coastal artillery is destroyed, we can soften up any remaining targets for the infantry."

"Why do we even need a naval bombardment?" asked Vicky. "Why can't we hang back and let the infantry assault and take out the guns and then move closer when it's safe?"

Jack shook his head. "The infantry will need all the support it can get. Despite the victory we had two days ago, Daimanos' forces still outnumber us. We'll need the extra firepower from the ships to tip the scales."

"And if the coastal artillery takes out the ships? What then, Jack?" asked Anna.

Jack gave her a knowing look. "Then we'll have bigger problems. This whole plan hinges on the gun crews taking out that artillery and then striking deep into their position to assist our infantry. So Bill, Kyle, and Lance, I'm counting on the three of you to get the job done."

"You can count on my guys, Jack," said Kyle proudly. "We'll get them taken out quickly."

Jack nodded his head in appreciation before turning back to the assembled officers. "Any questions?"

"What do we do once we take the fort? What then?" asked Kim.

"Then we hunt down Daimanos and bring him to justice," said Jack firmly. He cast his eyes toward the Sorellans in their midst and Nikias gave him a nod of the head and Elektra wore a small smile of satisfaction.

"If that's all, let's move out. I want us all to get a good night's sleep and be ready to go in the morning. I'll need the best from all of you. Thankfully, there's never been a better collection of officers assembled anywhere. No matter what happens tomorrow, I remain eternally grateful to have you all fighting by my side," said Jack. "Dismissed."

As the rest of the room began to file out, the only remaining attendees were Nikias and Elektra, who had stayed seated until the end. Once the last officer left, Elektra was the first to open up.

"What do you think our chances are tomorrow, Jack?" she asked, looking up at him with bright blue eyes. "Do you think we'll be successful?"

He studied her for a moment before answering. For the first time, Jack could see shades of her father contained within—the same worry and doubt he'd seen on Heron's face during the war council.

"It's a solid plan and the best shot we have, I think," said Jack while dancing around the question.

She smiled and called him out immediately. "That's the biggest nonanswer I've heard yet."

Jack returned the smile and rubbed his chin. "I don't know if I can give you the answer that you're looking for. We'll do our best. That's all we can do."

"I know you will," she said firmly while rising from her seat. "I need to avenge my sister, Jack. Our family has suffered for too long. Tomorrow we will triumph or we shall perish. That's all that I can accept."

Without another word, the feisty redhead left the room, the door latching shut behind her.

"Is she always so . . . spirited?" asked Jack to Nikias.

"You can say so. Her sister, Hera, wasn't like that at all. More docile if that's a better word for it? I think Hera would have made a good mother but not a good ruler. Elektra on the other hand would make a spectacular queen," said Nikias with a proud smile.

"She is passionate for sure," agreed Jack. "I just hope she doesn't do anything foolish tomorrow."

"I haven't known her to do anything foolish," said Nikias, looking back at the door that she had just left from. "She's been just as controlled as she has been beautiful. A deadly combination you might say."

Jack smirked and gave a knowing look to the minister. "You like her, don't you?"

Nikias coughed and sat up straighter in his seat. "What gives you a crazy idea like that?"

"The way you talk about her," said Jack with a smile. "You look like a man who only has one thing on the brain. Or one person rather."

Nikias sighed heavily. "She is above my station. Almost nothing could happen between her and I. Elektra, if she survives this war, will marry a member of royalty like it always has been. While I may be minister now, I come from a lowly station. My father was a fisherman and my mother was a midwife. Such aspirations are not becoming of me."

Jack chuckled. "Heron looks at you like a son, Nikias. I can see the trust and admiration he has for you and the respect for your opinions. Have you made known your intentions to the king?"

The minister shook his head. "It's not the king's response that worries me. It's hers. I have no idea if she even knows I exist beyond being a simple minister. While I may be in the government for West Sorella, this is more to me than just being a minister. There is more to my person. Could Elektra ever see that?"

"Not if you don't put yourself out there to her," advised Jack. "If she doesn't know to look for you, she won't."

Nikias laughed nervously. "You seem to have a lot of answers. You do all right yourself with women?"

It was Jack's turn to laugh as his mind drifted back and forth between the two sisters. In measured breaths, Jack could see both of their smiles, both of their laughs, and feel the softness of their lips on his. "There's one thing about women that I've learned at this point in life that always holds true. Do you want to know what it is?"

Nikias nodded eagerly.

"That we really know nothing about them. The great secret to women is that there is no secret. All we do is stumble forward and hope one of them likes us back," said Jack with a gentle smile.

Nikias pursed his lips. "I liked you better when I thought you had all the answers.

Jack laughed and clapped the man on the back. "To be fair, I like you better now that you're not fighting for Daimanos."

The minister visibly shivered. "You have no idea what it was like to work for that monster. To carry such cruelty in your heart for your own flesh and blood, I'll never understand it. I don't know what happened to him as a child to turn Daimanos into this creature, but I've come to pity the man. He sees the world in such simplistic terms. Black and white with no shades of gray. Working for him was like being stuck in a nightmare without the use of your limbs. It just felt like there was no escape."

"You're free now, though. You're here with us and ready to strike back at him for that," said Jack.

"I take solace in that answer," said Nikias. "The only reason he sent me here was to have me killed. Alcydes was to have been the executioner."

Jack frowned. "How do you know?"

"You don't get to that position in his government without picking up a few tricks," said Nikias with an uncanny smile. "I had to develop my own network of spies alongside the servants in the palace. Never a huge amount, mind you—my coin only went so far—but enough to figure out news and the talk that occurred behind my back."

"Did he figure out who you were?" asked Jack. "Why else would he want you dead?"

Nikias shook his head. "Not to my knowledge. As far as I know, he still thought of me as his loyal minister. My thoughts on the matter are that I might have done my job a little too competently. You see in East Sorella, no one is allowed to outshine Daimanos. To do so is to write your own death warrant. Perhaps he was finally on to me, but I know for sure he gave Alcydes the order to kill me during the battle. It was given the night of our banquet."

Jack's eyes drifted upward. "Was that why you looked so surprised at being sent to battle?"

Nikias chuckled. "Do you know of any other economic ministers that go to war?"

"I suppose you got me there," said Jack with a laugh.

Nikias then looked at the time. "It's late. I should get to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day."

"Please let me know if you have any troubles in the quarters I set aside for you," said Jack. "It's not much but then again we don't have much to work with on the Destiny."

"It'll be more than adequate, I assure you," said Nikias with a smile. "Besides, we're used to spartan conditions anyway with the war." With that, he turned to leave.

"Nikias, before you go," started Jack. "Talk to Elektra. You might be surprised at what may happen. Sometimes we never know the answer to a question unless we ask. The answer may just be worth the time spent asking it."

Nikias nodded to show his understanding and then left Jack's quarters shortly after. Jack took a deep breath at finally being alone and went to look out the portside window of his chambers. The moon was particularly full that night and there was a surprising amount of visibility across the water. Jack watched waves crest right next to the giant cruiser, and even at this distance, he could just barely make out the dark line of shore that marked the coast. Tomorrow morning they would begin their assault. He just hoped his plan was a good one. And that it wouldn't get them all killed.

*****

The next morning's preparations went almost too quickly. One moment, Jack was still in bed, although awake at the prospect of the coming battle. The next moment, he was sitting with a squad of marines in the launch boat and approaching shore just before dawn. Thankfully, he was with Greg again, the major already sitting in the boat and wearing a grin as soon as he settled inside.

"You know, as the commander, you have to actually fight a battle at sea sometimes. You can't always come ashore and have fun with us marines," said the smirking Greg.

Jack chuckled. "Ordinarily you may have a point but the West Sorellans need every man they can get. That includes men like myself with actual combat experience on land."

"I thought you were purely naval," said Greg. "I didn't know you had land experience."

"I picked it up in the Desert War," said Jack. "It may have been a short conflict but it was a nasty one at that."

"Some day, you'll have to tell me more about that experience," said the major.

"I will if we get out of this alive," said Jack with a grin.

Their launch boat drifted closer to shore and the darkness of the coast steadily became more defined as they neared. Jack turned to look around him, seeing all of the launch boats in steady waves making their way from the Destiny, their silent invasion force ready for this showdown with the remaining East Sorellan forces.

Jack's boat was one of the first to hit the sand, and unlike their Lishkerran adventure, the marines were able to disembark and hit the tree line without any enemy fire.

"This way, men," said Greg with a low call. The marines shuffled forward in an organized line, representative of their intense training and comradery. By the time their first boat had completely entered the tree line, others were staging across the beach and soon the entire company lined up just beyond the foliage.

"All right, I'm sending the launch boats back in to pick up B company," said Jack with a wave of the hand. "We need to find the West Sorellan position so we can link up and coordinate our attack."

"Where is the rendezvous point? Nikias said something about a low ridge but he pointed it out too quickly on the map," said Greg.

Jack pulled a small map from his shoulder bag and pulled it out. He grabbed the flashlight from his belt and shined it on the small sketch that Nikias had made for him the night before. "Right here on this low ridge on the west side of the fort. There's plenty of clearing in this one spot but it's surrounded by heavy foliage on either side. It's a great staging place for our attack."

"How far are we from this spot?"

Jack looked back at the map. "No more than a quarter mile from the beaches according to Nikias."

"Let's get moving then."

"I need you to stay here," said Jack while holding his hands up. "We need to stay linked together with our group and the incoming group from the ships. If we get separated in the dark, then this whole attack could fall apart."

Greg pursed his lips, looking disappointed. "What if you run into any trouble on the way there?"

Jack pointed to the troops surrounding them. "That's why I brought back up," he said with a grin.

"All right, but don't keep me waiting too long."

"We won't. I'll come back here and link up with you by the time I get these first men in position. Hopefully by that time, we have the second group inbound from the ships and then we can link up with all the forces."

"Good luck and see you soon," said Greg with a determined look.

With that send-off, Jack led the rest of A company deeper into the coastal forest. Based upon his map, he knew he would have to head in a northwesterly direction to find the small hilltop clearing, and using his compass with the light of the moon, he cut a path through the heavy bushes and trees in that direction. Thankfully, the meeting point wasn't far from the coast and after about fifteen minutes of leading the company through the forest, he stumbled upon the low rise that Nikias had described to him.

With easily enough space to fit the two Javan companies of marines and the West Sorellan forces, the hilltop clearing offered the perfect staging point for them to prepare the attack. Getting A company situated at the clearing, Jack then made a beeline back to the coast in preparation to link up with the next assault group from the ships.

"Back already?" asked Greg as he emerged from behind a thick bush.

"The clearing was easy to find. How's the second group managing?"

"They're coming ashore now," said Greg while pointing his finger to the nearest launch boat. This wave not only had the majority of B company but also a heavy portion of the West Sorellan forces. It was quite the odd sight to see the fully camouflaged marines emerging to fight side by side with the more plainly dressed and armed West Sorellans but Jack liked to see the camaraderie demonstrated by fighting together. Their teams were created and nurtured for the same reason—to bring an end to Daimanos' tyranny.

Also aboard this second group was Nikias and Elektra, and the two of them hopped off the launch boats and trudged over to meet with Jack and Greg.

"Are we all set up at the clearing? Were you able to find it okay?" asked Nikias as he rested his musket against his shoulder.

"Easy as we can be. If you'll follow me, we'll lead this group to the clearing and then try to link up with the rest of your land forces," said Jack while already walking away from the beach.

Once the second group was inside the clearing, Nikias began to set about looking for the rest of the West Sorellan army before daybreak. The sky was no longer its predawn pitch-black color but now showed a shade of dark purple as the sun prepared to crest over the horizon. With the attack slated for a daybreak start, they had little time to get into positions.

Fortunately for the group, they stumbled upon the rest of the land army of West Sorella almost by accident and the nearly two hundred soldiers who had sped along the coast over the night linked up with their brethren who had sailed. At this point, Jack, Greg, Nikias, and Elektra began to get their forces into attack positions to await the coming bombardment. Each of them took a force, with Jack grabbing A company led by Captain Reynolds and positioning them on the west side of the fort closest to the coast.

Next to them on their north side was the land army of West Sorella, commanded by Elektra and posed entirely on the west flank of the fort. From there, their line curved to the northeast where Greg could be found with B company covering the rest of the western approaches to the fort. Lastly, Nikias had the group of West Sorellans who had sailed over and he covered the northeast portion of the battlefield and the road that led back to East Sorella.

Together, the combined forces formed a semicircle around the entire position of East Sorella, remaining hidden behind any form of concealment they could find. There they waited as the darkness steadily disappeared and the dawn soon arrived.

Upon hearing the first sound of naval artillery, Jack sprung up from his hiding spot behind a giant oak tree and bid the men forward.

"ATTACK MEN!" roared Jack. "Push forward with the attack!"

*****

"I sure hope Jack knows what he's doing," muttered Lt. Commander Vicky Carter as the Tiger broke off from her formation with the rest of the Javan ships. "Full speed. I want every boiler firing on our approach."

"Yes, ma'am," replied Lt. Beth Pollock, their engineering division head. Vicky had to keep a steady hand on her command station as the ship began to lurch forward. Looking out the window, she watched as her battle-scarred destroyer cut through the waves at breakneck speed, her damaged bow still a poignant reminder of the losses incurred against the East Sorellans a few days ago.

Now that dawn was upon them, Vicky felt confident enough opening up the speed on the destroyer even though she was so close to shore. Just off in the distance, she could barely make out the proud East Sorellan fort and the battery of coastal artillery encased just beyond the beach. For this mission to succeed, they had to strike quickly and confidently.

"Ready the guns to fire. I want us to make a big noise when we get close," said Vicky to Lance as the weapons division head gave the order to load the five inch weapons. A few minutes later when they were closer still, Lance turned to face her.

"Guns ready to fire on your command, ma'am."

"Not yet," said Vicky, wanting to close the distance even more. She turned to look behind the ship, watching the two lumbering cruisers drift closer to shore to take up their role in the bombardment. She would have felt a little better about having backup had she not been set up as the bait for the whole mission.

Finally, the Tiger was in place and close enough to shore to see all the batteries lined up, the first rays of the morning sun illuminating their barrels.

"I'd say we should get this show kicked off," said Vicky with some trepidation in her voice. "Fire at will, Lance."

"Guns locked and loaded. Targets acquired. Fire at will, I repeat fire at will," urged Lance through the command radio.

Vicky felt the ship shudder as the guns roared to life and through her binoculars she watched as the spent ordnance raced their way to the shore. The first fireballs landed amongst the beach, setting off a line of explosions as the battle commenced.

There could be no turning back now.

*****

"Push forward, men! Take their positions and make 'em pay," yelled Jack as the entire mass of A company surged forward in the attack. An incredible sight to behold, Jack led the entire charge as they raced toward the fort, coming first upon the picket line set by the East Sorellans on their approach. The pickets that they found were caught completely unawares, the vast majority choosing to lay down their weapons instead of fighting, testament to the near total surprise they had achieved with their attack. Jack watched with grim satisfaction as a small stack of enemy rifles was gathered as well as several prisoners were taken to start the morning.

The rest of the attack moved on to the outer defensive position of the fort and here they met their first determined resistance of the morning. An outlying trench had been dug encasing the entire area of the fort and the few pickets who had managed to get off shots, as well as the bombardment from the coast, had alerted the garrison to their presence and soon bullets were flying in every direction.

Jack hit the ground with several other marines, Captain Reynolds included, and began to light up the nearest East Sorellan soldiers who manned the trench.

"Keep up a steady fire, boys," yelled Jack as his own rifle barked several rounds in quick succession. Thankful for the extra training he had with Greg before arriving to the island, he managed to rapidly dispatch several soldiers, mowing down East Sorellans in shot after shot. The entire defensive line almost crumbled in the withering fire they received, not helped by the fact that the larger guns of the Destiny and the Valiant were now firing as well.

Jack and the nearby marines stopped to gasp at a well-placed naval strike that hit the side of the fort, exploding one of the walls outward and causing screams of agony of those unfortunate enough not to have been killed by the initial blast. Jack made a mental note to thank the crews for their incredible accuracy when this was all over and then got up from his prone position and pushed forward on the attack.

*****

"Incoming! We've got incoming fire, ma'am," yelled Lance as the mighty coastal artillery batteries finally opened up, sending a devastating salvo directly at the Tiger as she sailed by. It was the first volley that had opened up from the remaining batteries, as several of them had already been destroyed in the first shots from the destroyer.

Vicky's hands gripped the command station tightly awaiting the blows from the artillery that raced their way toward the ship. She closed her eyes as one particularly good shot blasted the ship, sending up smoke and flames from near the stern. Thankfully, the rest of the shots either went too low or too high, missing the destroyer by a small margin. What did hit them didn't appear to be serious.

"Keep up the firing, Lieutenant," ordered Vicky. She heard the sound of the heavier naval guns and turned to look at the Valiant and the Destiny behind her, their great barrels pointed toward the fort and shelling it with fury.

Her own guns opened up next, sending another salvo racing to the shore. Vicky watched with satisfaction as another one of the coastal batteries went up in flames, as heavy smoke poured from the battered wreck soon after the shot landed. It was lucky enough for them that their firing was accurate today. The Tiger was now directly in front of the batteries and in the prime position to take punishment if half of them hadn't already been taken out.

She just hoped that her luck would continue to hold for the rest of the battle. Yet, the sight of the coastal batteries opening up once again sent a shiver of fear down her back once more.

Come on, Jack. Please get those guns cleared, she prayed.

*****

"Sire, we're under attack!"

Daimanos' eyes popped open as his servant's warning was soon drowned out by the sound of artillery. Something large and devastating landed too close for comfort and the king jumped out of his bed as the entire ground on the inside of the fort shook. In an instant, he knew the perpetrator behind this deadly morning raid.

"That bastard Heron!" roared the king as he leapt into action, grabbing his tunic and cape and fastening them into place. Daimanos quickly crossed to the other side of the room and grabbed his musket and turned toward the door. At the last moment, he halted and turned slowly, looking back to the king's sword that stood proudly in the corner of the room. Daimanos gave a determined smirk as he crossed back across the room and fastened the sword to his waist before leaving his quarters.

Outside the fort, the assembled soldiery was in a state of chaos. In every direction he looked, his troops scampered about without orders, doing their best just to get in any position to resist the oncoming onslaught. Daimanos paid the common soldiers no heed. They would either do their duty or perish, and that wasn't his primary concern. His most important task was finding his ultimate weapon and unleashing it.

"Barak! Barak, get your ass over here!" yelled Daimanos through the chaos, trying to find the stone-faced minister throughout the carnage.

Daimanos' attention was diverted by another mighty roar of artillery and he peered out to shore, seeing once more the Javan ships hovering just off the coast, their barrels pointed in his direction. Daimanos pursed his lips at the sight, and for the first time in a long while, felt a very real feeling of fear as their guns opened up once more.

"Barak! Where the fuck are you?" he yelled once again, pushing his way through the fort.

"Your Majesty!"

Daimanos turned his head toward the sound of the familiar voice. "There you are, you fool! Coordinate the defense! Get our troops into positions. We're being attacked!"

Barak rushed up to the king and seemed gripped with fear. "Your Majesty, our line is already shattered. West Sorellan troops, aided by the Javans, are already assaulting the fort. We need to get you out of here immediately!"

"No fucking way," growled Daimanos with a heavy shake of his head. "I'm not running from no usurper and his scratch force of spineless excuses for soldiers. No, we'll fight them here. Ready the troops to begin a counterattack."

Barak's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Didn't you hear me? The line is broken! We need to retreat now!"

"Only fools retreat," said the king angrily. "Besides, we have the ultimate weapon. They can't destroy us when we open fire with that."

Barak's expression changed to confusion. "The ultimate weapon? But there's no time!"

"Get out of my way, you fool," said Daimanos as his hand reached across and smacked the minister's face away. "I'll deal with you later. We just need to get the weapon to the cannons and it's goodbye Heron! Goodbye Java!"

Daimanos stalked over to the weapons building and threw open the doors. The sounds of exploding shells rained dust and lead all around him but the king's single-minded purpose to get to his weapon remained committed. Finally coming upon the barrels he was looking for, the king grinned with wickedness.

"The war ends today! I am the King of Sorella!" he proclaimed loudly as bullets crisscrossed the air.

*****

"Over the trench now! Let's get inside the fort," yelled Jack as he picked off the last soldier manning the defensive trench. As soon as the outer resistance collapsed, the rest of the marines hustled across the trench and began to infiltrate the remaining trench of the position.

The strikes from the naval guns had the desired effect as great portions of the outer wall of the fort had been blown away completely, providing easy routes of access for the attacking troops. Jack rushed up the hill going to the fort, taking a moment to pick off two East Sorellan soldiers who just happened to be lingering near the destroyed wall.

"Push forward, men! The fort is ready to be taken!"

Jack waited for the closest group of marines and together they pushed into the fort and covered the corners for protection. Inside was a scene of complete disorganization. What remained of the enemy forces rushed about still while men who had previously been filling the trenches had retreated inside the fort for protection, most of them having already thrown down their rifles in fear.

The sight of the attacking force pushing through the wall took away whatever confidence those defending troops had left and many of them began to surrender in mass. Jack was thankful for the sight indeed—hoping the killing would soon stop—but also because he was beginning to run low on ammunition.

Yet what should have been an easy mopping up action from here out was complicated greatly by the next incoming artillery shot from offshore.

"Incoming!" yelled someone from inside the fort, and in that moment, just about everyone rushed about to find cover from the shot that was about to hit. Jack grabbed several of the marines and leapt back outside the fort from the nearby ruined wall and as soon as he hit the ground, he covered his head with his arm.

He was glad he had jumped away from the fort because what happened next defied everything he knew about firepower. The largest fireball he had ever seen exploded from within the fort, and Jack could feel the extreme heat generated from such a blast against his back. What was worse, the heat never seemed to go away. Hazarding a look back to the fort, he was horrified to see the entire structure burning uncontrollably from the blast, the shot obviously having landed on some kind of incendiary ordnance.

To make matters worse, the blast had thrown the fire outward and great globs of fire had landed all around them. Jack noticed a particular chunk of fire landing not only five feet from him and burning rapidly against the ground. What was most confusing was that the fire continued to burn without any fuel whatsoever. It was almost like whatever concoction that had made it contained all the fueling requirements within to keep a sustained burning.

The implications of the blast were horrifying. Wherever the fire had landed, it burned uncontrollably until whatever it had latched onto was either burnt down or dead. Just a few marines were unlucky enough to receive a glob of the fire, and despite their repeated efforts to put it out, it soon punched holes through their jackets and burned straight through to the flesh. One marine even ran headlong across the beach, sinking his flaming arm into the ocean, but even the waves couldn't extinguish the flames.

As frightening as it was to contemplate the effects of the fire, those East Sorellans still inside the fort received the full blast. For the first few minutes, wild shrieks of terror pierced the air as men burned to death indiscriminately. It took far too long for the screams to end but when they did, a terrible silence descended on the battlefield as the charred remains of what were once soldiers littered the ground.

"Stop firing," yelled Jack into the command radio back to the cruisers. "I don't know what you just hit, but everything is up in flames."

Finding it impossible to enter the fort now, Jack grabbed a group of marines and went around the other side of the fort the closest to the beach. Emerging on the other side found a scene of chaos. A small stream of East Sorellans ran in retreat just like they had from the battle days before. Jack considered them the lucky ones, escaping the horrific fate of burning to death.

From just beyond the grouping of retreating soldiers, Jack caught sight of the king of East Sorella among the charred ruins of the defensive wall. Daimanos appeared to be in disarray as his flowing cape had to be ditched for catching a glob of the devastating fire that had so destroyed the fort. The king sulked about between trying to organize a last resistance and killing off any attacking soldiers that got too close to him. At the last moment, Daimanos turned and fixed his glare on the Javan commander.

"Jack Easterbrook!" roared the traitorous king as he turned to stomp into Jack's direction. Jack stared at the man who had brought such chaos to this island and calmly raised his NT-12 rifle and fired a shot at the king.

He missed—the bullet sailed right past the king's head, enough to make Daimanos duck behind a supply crate.

"You'll need a better shot than that to kill me, Jack!" Daimanos taunted from behind the crate. He stuck his head out from behind the crate for a quick second before pulling it back, but it was enough for Jack to hazard a couple more shots which did nothing but splinter the wood of the crate.

"You should come out and fight me like a man! Remember what I said, Jack? Only real men fight in hand-to-hand combat? Will you try to kill me with your gun like the coward you are, Jack? You're not worthy of winning my kingdom!"

Jack fired off another shot that grazed the shoulder of the king as he snuck toward another supply crate.

"Just nicked me! Quit fighting like a coward, Jack! Face me like a man!"

Daimanos furnished his sword and held it aloft in the air, a great taunt to the Javan commander and a steady reminder of their conversation back in East Sorella.

As soon as the king stuck his head out one more time, Jack pulled the trigger to fire another shot but the gun didn't respond. With a look of confusion, Jack looked at his ammunition counter to see he had run dry. He was out of bullets.

"Not so brave now, are you, Jack?" yelled Daimanos. "What will you do now, you coward?"

As if he sensed Jack was out of ammunition, Daimanos emerged from behind the crate, his sword raised to the side and ready to strike. There was a brief moment of contemplation as both sides tried to decide how to attack the other.

Daimanos moved first, thundering across the small clearing and winding his arm back in order to slash that sword.

Jack had moments to respond. He could block it with the NT-12 but he knew that would only save him temporarily. With the king's training, there was no way he could beat him in a one-on-one fight. He needed an out.

About two steps before Daimanos closed the distance, Jack managed to pull his sidearm out of the holster and fight two shots directly into the king's gut.

Daimanos yelled out in pain but the force of his thrust couldn't be stopped. The weight of the sword fell forward and slashed at Jack while the king crumpled to the ground, grabbing at his now bloody stomach. Jack screamed in pain as the blade slashed across his torso and fell to his knees beside the king.

Daimanos howled in pain. "You're not a real man," he wheezed as his hands filled with his own blood. "You fight like a coward."

"You shouldn't have charged a man that still has a loaded firearm," said Jack as he spit out a mouthful of blood. "At least it's the last stupid thing you'll ever do."

For once, the king had no words—no mocking or taunts. His hands tried to keep his intestines from falling out of his body but soon blood started to flow out of his opened mouth. Daimanos gave one last look to Jack before crumbling to the side with one final grunt.

Jack couldn't even begin to celebrate. He winced in great pain and as he tried to open his eyes once more, the edges of his vision filled with blackness. As the world began to swirl around him, Jack settled against the ground, his sidearm falling nearby beside him. Still clutching the slash across his chest, his consciousness soon fled.

*****

Jack was dreaming.

At least, he thought it was a dream. Perhaps he really was dead. The last thing he could remember was clutching at the wound in his chest as his eyes struggled to remain open. The sounds of battle were all around him still and his fingers barely clutched at the rifle by his side.

Yet in his dream, the battle had melted away. He was no longer pursuing the East Sorellans or even Daimanos any longer but rather pursuing some unknown force. Some siren song that beckoned him forward. Jack saw a path in front of him and each step of the path brought him closer to seeing the end of it. Something was calling him and he had to answer it.

The unfortunate thing about the plane of consciousness that he was on was that the closer he got to arriving at his destination, the harder his steps became. His legs became heavier. Every time he tried to move his feet, the ground resisted the next step. It reminded him of stomping in mud as a child—the deeper he got, the harder it was to move. Soon, Jack was pulled backwards against his own will and the lovely song that beckoned him forward turned into a tortured wail.

Jack's eyes popped open and he sat up straight as he awakened from the nightmare. A nightmare, yes. That's all it was, he thought to himself as he shrugged the remaining portions of sleep from his mind. Instantly, his body began to ache, and Jack found himself once again clutching his chest where the searing pain reminded him of the cut of Daimanos' sword. Except this time, he found a protective bandage wrapped around his entire torso.

"You won't want to move too much. I imagine it's going to take you some time to heal," came a kind voice from the other side of the room.

Jack's head turned to the side to find the speaker. Surprisingly, he found himself looking into the eyes of the king of West Sorella. Heron smiled fondly and rose from the seat he was in, quickly crossing the distance to stand by Jack's bedside.

"Heron . . . you're here. Where is here?" Jack asked groggily.

"It may be hard to recognize but you're in the ship's infirmary," said Heron with a gentle smile. "Your ship the Destiny, of course."

"The Destiny," muttered Jack. "But how?"

"Well, it definitely wasn't under your own strength," said Heron with a small chuckle. "You were found by Major Vaughn. Your men saw you go down while fighting my brother. Luckily for you, you managed to kill him. However, many of the men thought he took you with him."

"It kind of feels like he did," said Jack while rubbing at his chest once more. "Daimanos got a good slash in with that sword before I could dispatch him."

Heron smiled sadly. "Part of his martial training since we were boys. Father always intended for him to be my general someday. The two brothers—king and general. It just never worked out that way. If it helps you at all, you're probably one of very few men who managed to face my brother in battle and still live to tell about it."

"How bad do I look?" asked Jack. "Just how serious is the wound?"

"Not too bad, and I've seen much worse," said another voice off to his right. Jack leaned over to find himself looking at Dr. Kendall, the main doctor for the ship. Kendall stopped what he was doing and came to Jack's bedside. "You know the object of a sword fight is to get the other guy, right? Not to get stabbed yourself?"

"Now you tell me," said Jack with a small smile.

"Well, I see you haven't been robbed of your sense of humor so you must be doing better than I imagined," said Kendall with a hearty laugh. "You have lost a lot of blood though. You'll need to stay here for another few days and keep your wound dressed. Nothing too strenuous either. I can't have you reopening all that slash that took me so long to sew up."

"I think I can manage that," said Jack before turning to look back at Heron. "I didn't really get a chance to ask you. What happened after I passed out? Did we win?"

Heron nodded quickly. "It appears to be that way. Daimanos' forces were already on the retreat when you killed him. The fort, or rather what's left of it, is in our possession. We haven't even so much as ran into an East Sorellan patrol since the battle so my thoughts are that they've been chased all the way back to their capitol."

"Good," said Jack with a satisfied smile. "What about Nikias? And Elektra? Are they all right?"

Heron smiled. "Quite all right, I assure you. I daresay though that I may never convince my daughter now to be a proper queen. The look of triumph on her face was paramount as her troops took over their section of the fort. Being in battle must have awoken something inside of her."

"She's a good daughter to have, Heron. You're a lucky man to call her your own," said Jack.

"If only she would have a suitor that's worthy of her."

"About that, I think I have a way to solve two potential problems right now," said Jack while struggling to sit up a little straighter.

Heron chuckled. "I'm all ears!"

"I'm not sure how you may feel about this, but I'd suggest letting her spend a little more time around Nikias. I'm sure you can think of an appropriate excuse in which to do so. You may get your wish."

"Nikias?" Heron's eyes rolled up in thought. "You're quite sure of this?"

Jack nodded. "He's quite smitten with her."

"That one might be harder to arrange than it looks. Not that I don't like the man—I genuinely do and he's been extraordinary in the service that he's rendered my house. Yet, he is of common blood. I don't see the people taking to him easily."

"The people are ravaged by this great war and need something to celebrate," said Jack. "Once this is all over, I'm sure a royal wedding will be just the thing to help them let go of this tragedy and move into the future."

Heron mulled the idea over for a few moments before breaking out in a smile. "That doesn't sound bad at all. Are you sure you don't have any political blood in you? That was spoken like a true politician!"

Jack shivered. "In my country, politics is a bleak and brutal affair. That's something I want no part of."

"Still, I suppose a thank you is in order. Not only to you and your ships but also to your monarch. We are grateful for the assistance given to us by the Javan Empire," said Heron.

"Perhaps we can discuss that more?" asked Jack while turning a bit more serious. "I also want to talk about that dreaded fire that happened at the fort. What was that, and why was it impossible to put out?"

Heron opened his mouth to respond but before he could, the door to the infirmary opened and Jack's eyes met Abigail's. She stopped for a moment upon seeing him, but once she saw that his eyes were open, she launched herself to his bed and threw her arms around him.

"Ah, ah, take it easy please," said Jack as she pressed in too hard against his wound.

"Oh, sorry," said Abigail with a giggle. She released his body and settled her eyes directly on his. "You're awake now."

"Just barely," said Jack while motioning back to Heron. "Heron's been telling me what happened after the battle."

The king looked back and forth between the two of them and then stood up from his chair. "I'll let you two visit for a while. Jack, when you're feeling better, please come see me. Abigail set me up with with a room near the main deck. We'll have much to talk about when you do."

"That sounds good, Heron. Thank you for staying here with me," said Jack with a subtle head nod to the monarch.

"Thank you for staying alive," said the king with a grin. "I have a feeling you're destined for too many things before the heavens call you home." With one final wave, he disappeared and shut the infirmary door shut.

Jack looked back over to Abigail's lovely, dark eyes only to find the sight of tears in them. One, single tear careened down her cheek which he quickly wiped away. "I can't believe you're alive," she said finally. "I didn't think you were going to make it."

"I nearly didn't," said Jack with a chuckle.

"You gave us all a fright in doing so. Anna hasn't left your room except for when she's been on watch. Greg has spent time in here, as well as Luke. All of us were worried half to death."

Jack smiled. "I take it everyone got out all right then?"

Abigail shrugged and then grinned at him. "It seems your plan worked out remarkably well. Even using the Tiger as a decoy drew the fire off of everyone, and Kim did it without taking any major damage."'

"What about our forces? The marines? How bad were our losses?"

"All in all, rather light. We lost four men. Two more were wounded but they'll recover. One more is alive but suffered from a terrible burn from all that fire. He'll never fight again, unfortunately. For an action such as this, it appears we managed to surprise them enough that they should have just retreated all the way back to their capitol," said Abigail.

"I'm relieved to hear you say that. Once I had engaged Daimanos, I lost track of everything else," said Jack.

Abigail smirked and looked at him with an audible giggle. "Yeah, about that. Greg told me how he found you. Daimanos actually tried to have a sword fight with you?"

Jack shrugged sheepishly. "He tried but I wasn't about to let that fight happen on his own terms. I shot him in the gut with my sidearm when he attacked."

Abigail giggled. "You're ridiculous. You do know you're not supposed to let him close the distance, right?"

"That's funny, Kendall told me the same thing," said Jack sarcastically.

She laughed and rested her hand on his chest. "Just promise me that you won't make that mistake again, okay?"

"I'll try to remember that," said Jack with a grin.

She took another look at his body, studying him from head to toe. "So how long are you going to be down here? When can I expect you to be bugging me on the bridge again?" she added with a smile.

"A couple more days from the way it sounds," said Jack while thumbing over to Dr. Kendall.

"Poor you," said Abigail while tapping his chest. "What are you going to do to pass the time? Are you going to be able to remain on your back that long without wanting to get up?"

Jack shrugged. "Only time will tell, I suppose."

She leaned her face in closer to his own and took in the same breath. "Can I do anything to make you feel better?"

Jack gazed back into her dark eyes. "When you say anything, do you really mean anything?"

She giggled. "Always in the mood for one thing and one thing only, aren't you?"

Jack ran his fingers through his hair. "I wouldn't say one thing only. But when you look at me like that, then yes."

She leaned in closer still. "Perhaps I should indulge you this one time."

"Perhaps you should," he replied. "It might just make me heal faster."

"Well then, how can I turn down a request to help with that?" she asked with a smile. Without any further words, she leaned down to kiss him. Jack pressed into her kiss as well, her lips still just as soft as he remembered. Abigail moaned into his mouth just before her tongue sought entry to his own. She pressed her body against his as their tongues dueled eagerly, bringing back memories of that one night they spent in passion.

Unbeknownst to them, someone else had appeared at the infirmary door to check on Jack. As soon as she had gotten off of her watch for the day, Anna rushed down to check on Jack, eagerly hoping and praying that he would be awake. Her heart seized up as soon as she saw him sitting up in bed but she stopped just short of entering the room as soon as she saw her sister nearly lying on his bed. Anna watched quietly as they spoke, only able to make out some of their words from around the corner.

Yet, it was when their words fell silent that she hazarded a glance around the corner, and saw their lips sealed together in a kiss. Anna felt the pain stab at her heart at seeing her older sister with Jack. It pained her just to watch the two of them together, something she had started to suspect after seeing their playful banter together on the bridge.

Instead of confronting them, Anna pulled away from the door and shut it quietly behind her. As she felt the adrenaline course through her body, she decided to not confront her in front of Jack, knowing his delicate current condition. Anna slipped away from the door and rushed to the nearest hatch, her mood thoroughly spoiled by the sight.

Damn her. Must she have everything, thought Anna as she stalked away back to her quarters.

*****

Back in the infirmary, Abigail pulled away slowly from Jack's lips and her eyes popped open to gaze into his.

"I've been waiting for that for a while," said Jack with a sheepish look.

"Did I make you wait too long?"

"Just a little. It's better now though."

"You have a bad habit of making me have all these little moments of weakness," said Abigail as she tapped her fingers lightly against his chest.

"Oops." Jack grinned. "I'd say I'm sorry but you'd know I didn't mean it right?"

She smiled sadly and pulled away. "We shouldn't go any further. It's not fair to Anna."

Jack opened his mouth for a moment but closed it just as quickly. After a moment's thought, he began to nod. "You're right, of course." A small smirk then pierced his lips. "I can't believe you took advantage of me in my wounded state."

Abigail laughed heartily. "You're incorrigible. I'm going back to my quarters now!"

She turned to exit but Jack called out to her before she reached the door. "Wait just a moment. You can at least tell me if I missed anything while I was out of it. Any news? Anything going on?"

Abigail stopped and turned to him while wearing a subtle smirk. "Oh, I almost forgot. Two pieces of news have come in since the battle."

"Well? I'm all ears."

She turned to walk back to him. "Heron thinks he can fit our ships in his own dry docks. When we get back to West Sorella, he has a small naval base just further up the coast. He said he hasn't had much use of it since the Daimanos destroyed his fleet but the berths are huge. It should be even able to fit the Destiny!"

"That is great news," said Jack. "If we can make the repairs here, we won't have to return back to Quiller's Cove."

"We might not want to do that anyway," said Abigail. "Not with the second piece of news."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"A fresh message from the Admiralty just arrived this morning," she said. "It's from Admiral Bancroft. The emperor has finally declared war on the Occitanians."

Jack sat up straighter in bed. "Seriously? Hostilities have begun?"

Abigail nodded. "At this very moment, a task force is mustering to sail toward the Occitanian capitol of Montauban. Bancroft wanted you to be aware and to keep an eye out for any Occitanian ships that may come into the Vector."

"This war has been a long time coming," said Jack. "Are we ready for it?"

"We're going to have to be," said Abigail. "But I can promise you, Jack. Everyone on the Destiny will do their duty to their utmost."

She then turned to leave the infirmary. Right before she stepped out, Jack called out to her. "Thank you for coming to see me. You have no idea how glad I am to see you too, Abigail."

Her lips formed into a genuine smile. "Get better soon, Jack. We need you."

As soon as she was gone, Jack slid lower in bed and closed his eyes. Now that war was here, their mission just took on a new dimension. With his ships already battered and bruised as is, it became of paramount importance to get them repaired before the war found them.

Before slipping off to sleep once again, Jack reminisced about his experience in the last war and prayed this next conflict would be just as short. His gut feeling told him he wouldn't be so lucky this time around.

*****

After having arrived back in her quarters, Abigail moved to sit behind her desk and get some work done. Seeing Jack again had been incredible, and she was very thankful that he was able to pull through after his attack on the East Sorellan king. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't want to face the onset of hostilities without Jack at the helm of the task force.

There was a swift knock at her door after several minutes but before she could give the greeting for entry, her door opened anyway.

Abigail looked up in confusion at who would just barge into her own quarters but she relaxed as soon as she saw her sister's face slip into view. Anna latched the door behind her and crossed her arms.

"Oh, it's you, Anna-bear. You scared me," said Abigail with a smile, always reverting to her sister's childhood nickname when the two of them were alone.

"You've slept with Jack, haven't you?"

Abigail seized up and a look of panic filled her face at her sister's bold (and very true) accusation. She opened her mouth to respond but no words came out. The charge had come too suddenly that she felt entirely incapable of forming an excuse or a proper response.

"You don't need to answer. I can tell by the look on your face that you have," said Anna while chewing on her bottom lip. "I saw you two earlier in the infirmary. Kissing. You couldn't wait until he was awake again, could you? I had my suspicions, mind you. The way you acted around him on the bridge, for example."

"Anna-bear, I'm—"

"Don't call me that!" said Anna with a disgusted look on her face. There was nothing she hated more than when her sister still tried to treat her like they were kids again. "How could you, Abby? You know how much I like him."

Abigail pursed her lips. "It's not what you think. Really, I would never hurt you, Anna."

"You've hurt me plenty, Abby."

With that, Anna turned to exit the room while a string of tears came down her cheeks. As she opened the door, she turned to face her sister. Wiping away her tears, Anna raised her chin and stared at her older sister.

"I won't share him, Abby. Not with you and not with anyone. It's you or me."

With that, the younger sister slipped out into the hall and slammed the door behind her, leaving Abigail feeling helpless and even more confused. If she thought it was hard to control herself around Jack before, it would be twice as bad knowing that Anna would scrutinize every interaction they had moving forward. And while she desperately wanted to prove to her sister that all it was between her and Jack was sex, her inner conscience wouldn't let her say it out loud.

Things were about to become a lot more interesting on the Destiny.