About an hour after the envoy had delivered his message, Jack pushed away from his desk and stepped into his personal quarters. The day was just about over, and his personal anxiety over their current situation was high. Right now, he just needed a break. He needed some time to think. Everyone in the camp depended on him for their survival, and with the odds looking bleak for all of them at that moment, he was feeling the weight of that responsibility particularly frustrating.

"Jack, is that you?" asked Kat as soon as he stepped into the room. Her pack was open and resting against the bed, while her journal occupied the spot on her lap.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were in here," he said while stepping closer. "I just needed some time away from . . . well, everything."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Does that include me too? Do you want me to go some place else?" She made the motion of tugging her journal back into her pack.

He shook his head. "No, no, please stay. You're not really included in that bucket."

She gave him a small smile. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that even when I want to be alone, you don't count in that. Your presence is calming," he said while sliding on the bed. "I feel better when I'm around you."

Kat smiled and slipped into his arms. She rested her head against his chest, enabling him to bury his nose into her blonde locks. The position was instantly comforting, and the soft smell of the Galician woman helped to push the current problems far away.

"I can feel how tense you are, Jack. I can feel it in your very skin," she whispered against his chest, as her fingers danced across the fabric.

"Can you blame me? There's so much going on right now," he replied.

"No, but we'll find a way out of this predicament. We always do, right?"

"The odds seem very against us right now. Especially with no hope of reinforcement any time soon."

She turned to look at him. "No word yet from your people?"

He shook his head. "It's unlike them. The last few days have been eerily quiet. I hope that no trouble's befallen them. But from what I've heard, the only Occie force is right here off the coast. They still have to be on the way to us, but there shouldn't be anything in their way to prevent them from reaching us."

"What do you want to do until then?"

Jack took a deep breath. "Keep moving south. We can't confront the enemy clans and Swabians with our current strength so we have to trade land for time."

"What about these Occitanians? Have they made any further incursions into the country?"

Jack shook his head. "Not from our reports. They've been content to float off the coast. They know we're here or else they would've moved on already. Truthfully, I'm almost waiting for them to land a force of marines to try to find us."

Kat nodded. "What about Abigail? What are you having the Destiny do during this time?"

"I told her to go back out to sea. If the Occitanians are staying close to shore, I want the Destiny and the Tiger far away from them. We can't chance that battle."

"What if they're found? What would they do next, Jack?"

"You're awfully full of questions tonight," he said with a small smile.

"Sorry," she said with an embarrassed look. "I just don't like seeing you like this. I know how much this weighs on you, and I just want to find a way to help."

"You being here helps me, trust me." Jack kissed her soft lips tenderly.

The look of embarrassment slowly turned into worry after he pulled away. "Even if I feel responsible for where we are?"

"We're not going to go there, Kat," he said firmly. "It's not your fault that you got captured."

"I still feel like it is," she added quickly.

"It's not the same thing, Kat. I would have suffered in whatever country I had to in order to rescue you. I would have stolen you from under the nose of the Swabian emperor if I had to."

Kat giggled softly and then kissed him. "You have a bad habit of making some of the things I say seem ridiculous."

"That works both ways, trust me."

She kissed him for several moments longer as his hands wrapped around her delicate body. The heat in her kiss was starting to turn up, and Jack soon found himself panting between their lip locks. It was to the point that he was rubbing and squeezing her flesh, aching to get her out of her clothing.

"You're becoming quite handsy, Your Majesty," she whispered playfully as she ground her hips against his leg.

"Well, you're kissing me rather deeply," he countered. "I can't help that you're turning me on."

Kat gave him a wicked grin. "Is that what I feel poking me between my legs?"

He nodded quickly, causing her to sigh with content.

"I really want to feel you inside me, Jack." She continued to grind herself against his leg. Jack could almost feel the heat between them as she warmed his thigh. Kat threw her head back as her blonde locks cascaded down her back. In that moment, she reached up to cup her hidden breasts, a sight that further inflamed his passions.

"You have no idea how badly I want you," he breathed while his fingers kneaded her ass.

"You can take me, you know? Only you can have me, Jack. I'm yours whenever you want me."

Almost all of the stress of the day had melted away with her last words. She was now ready for him. Ready for him to cross that line fully, to lose her virginity at last. He quickly found all further brain activity ceased as he sought to rid her of her clothes and make good on her promise.

Yet, just as he was about to slide down her trousers, he heard another voice trying to get his attention on the other side of the partition.

"Jack, it's Greg. Can I borrow you for a second?"

Jack gave a frustrated sigh as he and Kat shared the same look of disappointment. "How urgent is this, Greg?"

"I'd say it's very urgent. You have to see this."

Jack took a deep breath while Kat kissed him softly. "Go on," she said. "There will be plenty of time for this soon."

"I certainly hope that's a promise," he teased.

She grinned. "You know it is."

He kissed her one more time before sliding out of bed, doing his best to hide his now rapidly-deflating erection. Pulling aside the tent partition, he saw Greg standing there with hope in his eyes.

"Read this," he said, handing Jack a note.

Jack scanned it quickly and then looked back to Greg. "When did we receive this?"

"About five minutes ago. This changes everything, Jack."

"It sure does," he said. "How far away are they?"

"Just off the coast about a half day away. We can be there in a good hour's ride from our current position."

"Did you give them our exact coordinates?"

"You bet I did. I just had it sent back through."

"Excellent," said Jack before crumbling the message. "Get word out to all units that we will retreat no further tomorrow. We're going to make our final stand in our current position."

*****

The next morning, Jack and Kat awoke early. Neither of them lingered long in bed, and both quickly got dressed so they could start a short journey down to the coast. Being only an hour's ride away, they wanted to get there quickly so they could return with speed, especially if the enemy wasn't that far behind them.

Once they were both dressed, they stopped to find Greg in his own quarters, already wearing his uniform and looking like he'd been awake for hours.

"We ready to do this?" he asked, standing up from his chair.

"Yes, let's get moving. The quicker we get back, the better," said Jack. "Did you pick a squad to accompany us?"

"Yes, I have one with eight men that are waiting for us," said Greg. "We should be able to make the journey quickly and have a heavy degree of protection."

"Great, let's go," said Jack as they soon exited the tent. Their current position occupied a small hill that was set along a lower lying valley of the mountainous eastern portion of the country. In front of Jack laid the flat valley itself, perfect ground for fighting, and all of it downhill from his current position. From this particular spot, the enemy could come down only one of three different mountain passes, and they would need time to organize before they pressed forward with an attack.

Late last night, Jack got word that an advance force of one of the enemy clans was spotted traversing the center mountain pass. Word was passed through by one of the sentries, a cousin of Abel's from the Muthada clan. Since the scouting force was already closing in on their position, it meant they had about half a day or so until the enemy force was on the plain and organized enough to offer battle. That meant that Jack had to be quick.

After they had their horses saddled, the small group of eleven took off with a rapid pace, the horses thundering their way along the narrow road that led to the coast. Large clouds of dust were thrown up along the way, necessary with the quick pace they'd set, and it forced all of them to rely on their protective headgear to get through without choking.

Even with the quick pace, it still felt like that hour's journey took a long time. Jack constantly fretted about being apart from the army, yet this was one meeting that required his presence. He just hoped he still had enough time to do this and get back before the next attack.

It wasn't until they came into a small gully cut deep into the rock wall that Jack could finally see the coast. He led the rest of the group through the gully to the sand on the other side, emerging onto a narrow strip of beach.

And his mouth dropped open almost immediately.

Just out to sea, not more than a thousand yards out, were warships of the Javan Empire. Jack watched as the roaring dragon banner of Java whipped around in the breeze alongside the small armada of ships that had parked just off the coast.

For someone whose back was just against the wall, it made for a beautiful sight.

"They're here," he said with a firm grin. "Luke is back."

He used his command radio to signal their arrival to the task force, and soon a series of launch boats could be seen taking off from every large ship. What was even better was that not only did he have the Valiant back—he now had two more heavy cruisers to add to his task force.

Jack caught sight of Luke and Kim as they came ashore in the rough surf, their arms held up high as they waved in greeting. He nearly ran toward the waves to meet them halfway, a full grin plastered on his face at the sight of his two old friends.

"We heard you needed reinforcements," called out Luke just as soon as he hopped off the launch boat.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you both again," said Jack with a chuckle. The two men collided where the water met the sand, and Jack patted his back heartily. He'd truly missed the other man.

"You don't look like you're doing too bad," said Luke with a grin. "And you have a hell of a tan too. Have you been on vacation?"

Jack started to laugh. "I've been fighting a war here while you sail around the ocean, you know."

"Well now there we're back, it's time for us to win it!"

Jack patted his back one more time and then turned to Kim, who also came in for a big hug. "So good to see you too, Kim."

"And you, Jack. You've been well?"

"Not too bad although we have much to catch up on. How about you?" he asked before giving the both of them a knowing look. "How about the both of you?"

They looked at each other before looking back at Jack with matching grins. "We're doing just fine," said Kim as she touched Luke's hand reassuringly.

"Those are some mighty fine ships you brought with you," said Jack while he pointed out to sea.

"I thought you might like those, Jack," said Luke. "We brought you the Valiant as well as two of the finest Javan warships out there—the cruisers Stardust and Horton, fresh off of enemy action at Quiller's Cove. Not to mention, we brought you three more destroyers as well to round off the force."

"I'd heard that the Stardust was the one to take down the Occie battleship," said Jack. "Think she can do it again?"

"I bet you she can. And if you still doubt me, I'll let you ask her commander." Luke pointed to the other launch boats now coming ashore.

The first to come ashore a man about ten years older than Jack. The commander had salt-and-pepper hair and a stern look that showed he was ready to get to business. The man's face was known to Jack, having served with him when he was just out of the academy on a Javan destroyer named Bennett.

"Mike Cutter, it's been too long since I last saw you," said Jack, offering his hand to the man.

"Jack, I see you've been making a name for yourself since you left the Bennett," said Mike, shaking his hand firmly. Mike wasn't one that smiled often, but when he did, it was something you remembered. And Mike rewarded him with a grin at that point while he savored the feeling of their reunion.

"Welcome to the Fourth Vector, Mike. Or more specifically, welcome to Andalucia."

Mike looked around and made an unimpressed face. "Not the friendliest country. Who leads here?"

"I do, believe it or not. I'm actually the king here," said Jack.

Mike gave him a shocked look. "King? You?"

"It's a long story, Mike."

"One that you'll have to tell me someday."

"For sure, I most definitely will."

"For now, I bring you the Stardust. One of the jewels of His Majesty's fleet and sporting nine eight-inch guns, she's a leviathan on the ocean waves. Second to none."

"Except maybe the Destiny," added Jack with a sly grin.

"Aye, Jack," said Mike. "And you command them both."

The small group was soon joined by another commander. He was easily the tallest of all of them, and only a few years older than Jack. His small, dark eyes watched all of them as he came in for his greeting, and he was the only commander there that Jack had not met before. He was joined by another man, a silver-streaked veteran who had the look of a marine written all over his face.

"Commander Jack Easterbrook, I'm Commander Pete Dawson of the Horton," introduced the man while giving Jack a salute and a firm handshake.

"Welcome to Andalucia, Pete. I was just telling the other commanders that your task force is a sight for sore eyes," said Jack.

Pete let out a low, barking laugh. "The only ones that are going to be sore soon are the Occies. Your last dispatch mentioned that they were close by?"

"Just up the coast a ways," said Jack. "I have the Destiny swinging out to sea to link up with you. If we can catch up to that force, we'll be on even footing."

"Good," said Pete. "Time to finish the job we started back in Quiller's Cove."

"I heard you're no stranger to fighting battleships, Pete. The Horton took some damage during that battle, right?"

Pete nodded. "Nothing that we couldn't fix. The men are aching for revenge, I'll tell you that. This should be the perfect opportunity for it."

"I'm sure you'll get your chance," said Jack before he turned back to Luke. "How did Lucas take it with your task force breaking up?"

"Honestly? Not as bad as Admiral Reynolds did. I've been meaning to talk to you about that one, Jack. I think he's got it out for you."

Jack nodded slowly. From what he remembered of Admiral Reynolds, he was one to always do things the proper, by-the-book way. He'd never served under him personally, but had heard stories of those that did. Most other officers chafed under his command, their independence usually clipped in order to portray the perfection that Reynolds claimed.

"No time to focus on that now, but I'm glad that Reynolds saw fit to release you to us," said Jack glibly. "The situation here is deteriorating quickly."

"That's what I'm here for," said the only man who hadn't been introduced yet. The silver marine stepped forward and offered the crispest salute Jack had yet seen. "I'm Major Dustin Culver, and I have the honor of being the senior officer with the 57th Battalion of Javan Marines that's accompanied this fine task force."

Jack grinned. "Major Culver, your men have arrived just at the nick of time."

"Commander, I bring you eight hundred marines of the 57th, organized into four battalions, eight companies, and twenty-four platoons. We've also brought over a full company's worth of men as replacements to your own marine battalion. Last count was one hundred to add to their ranks."

"So you've brought over nine hundred marines to us? Major Culver, I could kiss you," said Jack a little too frankly.

"I'd prefer you didn't, son. My gate don't swing that way," said Dustin with his hands up. Jack could only laugh in reply.

"We surely needed you. We were down to only eighty marines as effectives of our original group of two hundred."

"Only eighty?" asked Luke with a shocked expression. "What the hell's been going on since I left Sorella?"

"A war, Luke. This whole damn country was against us. The only way I could stop it was by killing the original king and taking his spot. But even now, not every clan submits to my authority, and I have Swabians reinforcing them."

Pete gave him a funny look. "Who the hell are the Swabians?"

"And what do you mean by clans?" added Dustin.

"It's a long story. One that I can tell you on the way back to camp. But I'm sure my men will be happy to see you."

"That reminds me, Jack," said Dustin as he fished around for something in his pocket. "Is Major Vaughn around here? I've been told to give him this."

"Major Vaughn is right here," said Greg as he and Kat walked up to the group while the rest of the marine escort hung behind them.

"There he is, you son of a bitch," said Dustin as he broke out in a grin. "I haven't seen your ass since the Desert War. How you been, Greg?"

The both of them embraced like long lost friends. "I haven't been too bad. Just out here on the edge of the world causing trouble."

"Like I knew you would. Anyway, I got something here for you. Something that came all the way from top brass back home," said Dustin as he handed off the dispatch.

Greg gave him a confused look as he unrolled it and read it over quickly. His face went from confusion to shock over the course of about ten seconds. "Is this real?"

"You bet it is, Lt. Colonel Vaughn. Congratulations on your field promotion!" Dustin gave him a hearty smack on the back.

"Wow," said Greg quietly. "I didn't expect this."

"A well-deserved promotion," said Jack as he took in the news. "You've saved our asses enough times that you've earned it. It's about time they recognized your worth."

"And being as I was the highest ranking officer in this force, that now means you're in charge of nearly a regiment's worth of the fiercest warriors in the entire world. Congratulations, Greg!"

Greg still looked a little shell-shocked. "I hope that I can make all of you proud."

"You got a long ways to go but I'm sure you'll get there," joked Dustin before he turned his attention to the only remaining member of the group who hadn't been introduced yet. "And who might this beautiful lady be?"

"This is Kat of Galicia," said Jack as he slipped his arm behind her back. "She's volunteered to be our guide during our mission inside the Vector."

Most of them looked her over several times, taking in her beauty. It wasn't every day that sailors got to see a beautiful woman, as most of the women on their ships could be downright homely at best. Even Kim's beauty was about as best as you could get on a warship, and most of the time, it was hidden behind her uniform. When you added in Kat's lithe body and blonde features, it wasn't hard to see why she so captivated their attention.

"Someday you'll have to tell me where this Galicia place is," said Dustin as he walked a little closer. "But you can call me Dustin."

"A pleasure," she said with a small smile as she slipped her hand into Jack's. The gesture was small but captured the attention of the rest of the men there. Dustin's face, which had lit up so quickly at seeing her, rapidly sagged.

"Ah, I see how it is," said the defeated major.

"Sorry, Dustin," said Kat with a small smile.

"No apologies are required," he said, soon recovering to offer a laugh. "I can see why Jack has taken a liking to you."

Jack gave him an embarrassed look. "It goes a bit further than that. There's a lot that we have to catch you all up on with the status of things in this part of the world. Kat is widely traveled and has a lot of experience with the Swabian Empire, who has been making trouble since we got here."

"Even in Andalucia, Jack?" asked Luke. "They didn't get the hint after we stole the treasury right out from under them in Sorella?"

"It's a bit worse here, believe it or not, Luke. They've been selling slaves here and using them in the country's mines. More slaves to mine means more gold which means more profit back to the Swabians as well as the clans here. We've disrupted that payment to the Swabians when I took the throne, but now they've sent their own soldiers here to try to balance the scales."

"How bad could these Swabians be?" asked Dustin. "Surely they're no match for Javan marines?"

"They're not, but they are the toughest soldiers we've come up against since we've been here," said Greg. "Most of the lands we've been through haven't been too technologically advanced. Even the clans here still rely on bows for the most part, as well as melee weapons once they close the gap. The Swabians have shown the most advanced weaponry since we've been here, even if they are about twenty years behind our own."

"Twenty years?" asked Mike. "How is that possible? They said the Vector was populated with nothing but spear-wielding savages. Are you trying to tell me they have ships like ours?"

"They do. We even sunk a cruiser of theirs on the way to Andalucia. It looked like something that I've trained on but it can still be deadly in the right hands. And with how aggressive this empire is, I'm sure they have plenty of officers willing to use them."

"Might I add as well, Jack," chimed Kat, "they've been on an expansionist bent for the last hundred years. There's a lot driving that empire to expand right now, mostly the quest for new lands to conquer."

"She's right," added Jack. "We've heard all about how they treated a neighboring country called Naxos. Most of them ended up enslaved."

"That's part of what we're fighting for here," said Greg. "Andalucia is a slave society. The Swabians have been trying to reinforce that for their cut of the output of the mines. Jack has started to free some of the slaves here, and we think it's caused a good portion of the uproar."

"Speaking of uproar, what are we up against? How many numbers do the enemy have?" asked Dustin.

"They had about a regiment of the Swabians before the last battle, but they sacrificed a good portion of that in their last attack when they met our defenses head-on."

"How many did they lose?" asked Dustin.

"A good portion. Probably about three hundred if I had to guess," said Greg.

"In addition to that, the two enemy clans in front of us have about twelve hundred combined men left. In addition, we have a few clans that we don't know the status of and are surely moving to reinforce our enemies since they think our position is weak," said Jack.

"So it seems we have a slight advantage in rifles, but in terms of overall men, we might end up being roughly about equal," said Dustin. "Does that seem right?"

"Sounds about right to me," said Greg.

"Hmm, we'll have to think on that one. I'm sure we can find ways to give advantage to our men and take away the only strength they have going for 'em," said Dustin.

Jack nodded. "We don't have long to think on it. If you can start getting the marines off the ships, we can lead you inland. As we were leaving to meet you, the enemy was starting to take their position opposite our defensive line."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move out," said Dustin.

It took about a full hour for the entire complement of marines to load up and get moving onto their launch boats to bring them to shore. For almost nine hundred men to pack up and move that distance in such little time really showed the efficiency and the training that the marines had to undergo to become Java's finest warriors. Jack watched as one battalion after another came washing ashore, fully decked out in their equipment, uniforms, and each carrying a deadly NT-12 as they lined up in groups on the beach.

Soon, most of the men of the 57th were almost all lined up while the replacements for Greg's battalion occupied their own position on the beach. In short, it was one of the grandest fighting forces that Jack had ever laid eyes on. Javan marines were worth ten average soldiers, and such a display of fortitude and ferocity was bound to spell trouble for their enemies.

"Impressive showing, Dustin," said Jack as all the men lined up to begin the approach to the main Javan camp.

"The best of the best, sir," said the major. "Just tell us where to go and we'll take care of business."

"I'm going to let Greg start the march to get you back to camp. We had to ride an hour to get to this beach from our current position, and that marching time will be closer to three once you're underway. Greg will lead you there, and Kat and I will catch up to you shortly."

Dustin nodded and then offered a salute. "We'll see you on the road shortly then, sir. Marines! Move out!"

Jack watched as Greg and his escort squad took the lead, and as one body, the entire group of marines began to march up the beach toward the gully.

Jack finally turned to look at Kat. "We may just get out of this yet."

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Remember what I said? I told you we'd find a way out of this. I just knew it."

"Maybe I should start listening to you more often."

Kat playfully poked his ribs. "That would be a start."

Instead of escalating the situation, Jack approached the rest of the naval commanders as soon as the marines were underway.

"What exactly would you like us to do now, Jack?" asked Mike. "I take it there's no way we can offer naval support for this upcoming battle you have?"

Jack shook his head. "Unfortunately not. This battle will be just a little too far inland. However, I'd like for you to link up with the Destiny and the Tiger before we start looking for a fight with the Occitanians. Those two ships are still vulnerable even being out to sea. I'd like for you to make contact with Lt. Commander Abigail Wainwright and link up into one force."

"Any idea where exactly the Occies are? I know you mentioned up the coast, but we're working with very crude maps here," said Pete.

Jack pulled a map of the country out from his breast pocket. "We're right here," he indicated, pointing to a spot on the eastern coast just north of the middle of the country. He then moved his finger in a northwesterly manner. "The Occies are up here." Jack then moved his finger due east out to sea. "The Destiny is out here. I'll let Abigail tell you her current position while you look to link up. Once you're one force, you can go hunting for the Occies."

"Got it," confirmed Mike. "We've been itching to finish the job since we had that first taste of battle back in Quiller's."

"One more thing," said Jack before he let them get underway. "I need to stay ashore to fight this battle. That means one of you three will be in command since all of you have the highest seniority. Asking me to pick between the three of you right now isn't the easiest task, so I'm going to go with the one that I've fought with the longest. Mike, you and I have known each other the longest, but Luke and I have fought together more. For that reason, I'm putting him in charge of the task force until I can return."

If Mike or Pete had any disappointment over the decision, they didn't show it. Instead, both men nodded curtly. They were used to following orders, popular or not.

"That should just about do it. Keep me informed of what happens over the command frequency and happy hunting to all of you," said Jack with one last salute.

All three of them saluted him in turn, and the two heavy cruiser commanders soon got back into their launch boats to go back to their ships, leaving Luke and Kim alone with him and Kat on the beach.

"They may not like serving under the newest Commander in the whole navy, Jack," said Luke with a sly grin.

Jack shrugged. "Like it or not, it's only temporary. I trust your judgment the most right now so they'll have to make the most of it.

"They'll be fine," said Luke. "I've sailed with them for a few weeks now. They're good men, both of them."

"As are you," added Jack. "Be careful out there. Send those Occie assholes to the bottom of the sea."

Luke patted him heartily on the back. "We'll take care of business out here. You do your thing ashore, and we'll meet up after."

Jack said his goodbyes to Luke and Kim as they soon boarded back out to the Valiant. He wanted to watch from ashore while the task force began to steam away from the beach, but he knew time was still of the essence.

His army needed him.

Jack grabbed Kat's hand and started after their horses. "Come on. We have a battle to win."

*****

"Well, it appears our enemies have had time to organize. It looks like they've picked up a few numbers as well."

It was about three hours since they left the beach, and no sooner did the marines arrive in camp then they set about taking positions and trying to figure out a plan for the upcoming battle. Jack looked out across the battlefield as Greg spoke the words, scanning the encampment of the Swabians and the enemy clans. He didn't appear to be exaggerating. There now seemed to be another two clans to bolster the ranks of the Gartala and the Lapusa. Jack estimated the addition of these two new clans probably brought in a total of about thirty-five hundred Andalucians facing against him. Their numbers had increased exponentially, and Jack had to wonder how many of them had defected over to their side once he started the retreat.

The only good thing, if it could be called such, was that the Swabians still appeared in roughly the same numbers. It meant the overall force in front of them was easily over forty-three hundred men, a sizable army for a country like this one.

As far as Jack's own forces, the losses from the first battle had brought his numbers down slightly, but the addition of the marines pushed his total up to about thirty-six hundred men. While he had a small advantage in rifles, he was outnumbered by almost a quarter. It also meant that just about any battle plan they came up with would have to take into account the range of the Swabian rifles.

"We need to have a war council before this thing cooks off," said Jack to Greg, as he gestured at their defensive position. "I don't like how they're lined up. It seems they have the Swabians massed in the center of their line."

"It's the smart thing to do," said Greg. "Put the heaviest hammer in the center with the weaker clans on the flanks. All they have to do is pierce the middle of our line, and then they can just roll up our flanks. We'll be sitting ducks."

"Come on. Let's talk this one through," said Jack, as the two men went to find the other leaders.

About twenty minutes later, Jack had gathered Greg, Dustin, the battalion commanders of all the marines, as well as Abel of the Muthada, Samir of the Numratha, and Masud, Wabu, and Hafiz of the Burlada.

"So that is our current position," said Jack as he outlined the enemy's location in detail to all the leaders. "They look to be set up to strike directly at our center with everything they've got."

"That seems pretty cut and dry to me, Jack," said Dustin. "Why don't we place all our marines in the center and blunt the attack? With this much firepower, we'll stop that attack right in its tracks."

"We could do that," said Greg as he drew a sketch of it in the sand. "But they have more Andalucians on their flanks. If they crush our flanks, they could surround us in the center, and that's even if we beat back their attack."

"Well then, we'll just fight our way out if these boys can't do the job," said Dustin, gesturing toward the other Andalucians.

"Not without taking a host of casualties," said Jack. "And I'd like to keep this army as intact as possible just in case any other clans get any ideas of defecting."

"We can't win a battle without taking casualties though, Your Majesty," said Samir. "Your countryman's plan of meeting the heaviest forces in the center has merit."

Jack nodded quietly and drew a sketch of how the battle would go forward in the sand below him. While he didn't expect his clans to withstand the assault on the flanks, he did think the marines could still survive the Swabians and then push out the rest of the enemy. Although, he almost shuddered to think of the cost. Yet what other choice did he have? It was either make the center strong or the flanks strong.

And that's when an idea hit him.

Jack covered the sand with his foot and redrew the lines one more time. This time, he positioned his marines on either flank, with a heavy strategic reserve in the center, just behind the front lines. In the main portion of the line in the center, he put in a thin covering of Andalucians—just enough to draw the enemy inside his own line before the flanks and the strategic reserve could come back to crush it from all sides.

It was a bold plan, but if it worked, he would be able to defeat their army in detail all at the same time.

"New idea," said Jack boldly as he called them all around him again. "We're not going to do a strong center. We're going to do a weak one with strong flanks. I want two marine battalions on each flank, and I want Greg's veterans, along with the replacements, in the middle making a strategic reserve. Lastly, I want the Burlada in the center, with the Numratha and the Muthada on either side of those, butting up against the marine battalions on the flanks. What we have in the other small clans can join those three as well."

He received several confused looks from many of the men around him. "Your Majesty, I don't mean to discourage your plan, but our clans won't hold up well against the Swabians in the center," said Samir with a cautious look. "You've seen it firsthand yourself just what those rifles do to Andalucians in combat. It would be a bloodbath."

"Yes, it would," said Jack before he held up his hand. "If, and I mean if, you stayed there to fight them on your own terms. I'm not asking you to do that."

Samir looked even more confused. "Then what are we to do?"

"I want you to get off as many shots with your bows as you can and once the enemy starts pushing on your center, I want you to fall back to the strategic reserve." Jack then drew the next phase in the sand showing the Andalucians pulling back to where Greg and his men were stationed.

"Your Majesty, then they would just break our center," said Wabu. "What use is a weak center?"

Jack then drew the third phase of the battle in the center, showing the intended movements of each piece after the enemy had been drawn in. He outlined each group's responsibility as the battle progressed, a simple maneuver that would be easy enough to accomplish in the heat of combat.

"Listen, I know this looks rather unorthodox. But they are putting their entire strength in the middle," said Jack. "I think we have a real chance here to counter that threat."

Half of the men didn't look convinced. It seemed like only Greg could see what Jack was trying to accomplish as the rest of them looked to want to keep with the original plan. Thankfully, with Jack being in charge, most of them were more keen to follow orders instead of dissenting on the plan, even if they didn't understand most of it.

"We don't have much time before they can attack, so let's get the men into place now," said Jack, adjourning the meeting.

"This is a bold plan, Jack," said Greg as the rest of the men departed. "I'm not sure where you cooked this one up, but if this doesn't work, our entire force is in jeopardy."

Jack looked back down to the map at his feet. Sure, if it didn't work, they might be surrounded and defeated in detail. It would mean the reinforcements were for nothing, Andalucia would be completely lost, and the task force would need a new commander.

However, if it worked, it meant they might be able to end this war today without dragging out a protracted fight with an increasing number of clans. For Jack to keep the throne of this country, he had to end this war quickly. This plan was the best shot they had to do that.

"We'll just have to make it work, Greg. We have no other option right now," said Jack finally, as he turned to face the man. "Get your battalion ready. Have you started to integrate the reinforcements?"

Greg shook his head. "Not really. Most of those boys are pretty green. I'm thinking of pairing each rookie with a veteran to help bring them up to speed."

Jack started to nod. "I like that idea. The rookies will have someone to look up to and each veteran will only have to worry about their rookie not screwing up. Let's get it done."

*****

All the dust from the movements of the army to get into position for Jack's plan must have alerted the enemy scouts. The men had just gotten into place when the first of the advance scouts reported movement in the enemy camp.

Jack could soon look out to see the entire camp of the enemy forming their lines, with the Swabian anvil in the center and backed by the Andalucian flanks. They weren't deviating from their original setup, and Jack could at least count that as going for them. Having to think of a new battle plan on the fly was stressful enough.

Since the enemy was lined up a good half mile from the front lines, Jack had time to visit the front ranks of the Burlada, Muthada, and Numratha even as the Swabians started to march. Their lines were thin in comparison to the marines, especially for the two less numerous clans. Jack had them arrayed in such a formation so that the front ranks kneeled while the second rank stood directly behind them. For Jack's plan, this pair of ranks formed one line in his plan. He had two other lines behind them set up in the same way, for a total of six ranks deep of each clan.

They had orders to fire their bows upon command, letting each of the two front ranks achieve a full volley before they would fall to the rear, allowing the third and fourth ranks to step forward to the front line while those that were previously on the front would draw their next arrow and prepare to notch it. In such a way, the six ranks would rotate through, allowing them to present a continuous line of fire until the Swabian rifles started to push into them. It was an awkward position for those kneeling to fire their bow but Jack needed the concentration of arrows to make this work effectively.

"I just need you to keep up a steady stream of arrows," said Jack as he walked along the front line. "When the pressure gets too much, I don't want you to be heroes. Fall back to the marines stationed in the rear and become their flanks. I just need you to kill as many of those bastards as possible before you do so."

One of the clans looked back to where the marine reserve was placed, a distance of a few hundred yards. "That's a good distance to retreat to, Your Majesty. Especially while we're being shot at."

Jack locked eyes with the tepid youth. "Make sure not to turn your back to the enemy. Just take measured steps back and keep firing if you're able. They'll be more likely to shoot you if they see your back."

The youth nodded, swallowed heavily, and turned back to face the approaching Swabians. Jack turned to look at the flanks, both of them heavily beefed up by the presence of two battalions each. They would make quick work of the Andalucian clans even as the Swabians pushed past them. It was his hope that they could stand firm to tighten the noose on the attackers once it was needed.

He would soon find out just how risky his gamble would be.

As the Swabians and enemy clans began to approach the front lines, they soon broke out into a headlong run against their position. It was at that point that Jack instructed his clans to notch their arrows and prepare for the first volley.

"Just wait a little longer," said Jack. "Most of them will stop to take that first shot. As soon as they do, I'll give the command."

Sure enough, the Swabians faltered once they were close enough, ringing out the first shots of battle as several of the Burlada men around Jack took hits, falling to the ground. It was just the signal he'd been waiting on.

"Fire now!" he roared as the steady twang of arrows soon lifted from their bows and filled the skies with streaks of black. Jack watched as they soared overhead and soon dropped down on the unsuspecting Swabians, taking many of them to the ground.

"Rotate!"

The front ranks of the clans soon pushed back to the rear, only to be replaced by the second lines of the third and fourth ranks.

"Fire!"

More arrows filled the skies, causing the Swabians to shriek out in terror as the weapon hit its target. Around him, the chaos of the battlefield was starting to reign. It was the most bizarre sight to see attackers bearing rifles coming down on those with bows and arrows, while on his flanks, the opposite was true. Too soon, he heard the steady barking of the NT-12 as the enemy clans got into range of the marine battalions.

However, his clans in the center of the line were taking grievous casualties. Many of them were dropping like flies at this point, outgunned by the Swabians and having little cover. The lines were starting to falter and gaps were starting to appear.

"One more volley!" Jack yelled to those that were still capable of offering combat. "Give them one more volley and then pull back!"

The sound of arrows soon filled the air but a much lower quantity of Swabians hit the dust this time around. They were now close enough that Jack could make out their faces, and their firepower was turning into pure devastation on his lines.

"Pull back!" he yelled, tapping all of those still standing at the front. "Pull back your forces!"

Many of them didn't need told twice. As one body, they started to push backwards, struggling to retain a degree of space between them and the deadly rifles of the Swabians. Most of them tried to slip a few arrows out while they pulled back, however the results were poor to say the least. There were too many Swabians.

It was at that point that many of them turned their back to the enemy, sprinting headlong for the rear and threatening the integrity of the entire line.

"Don't turn your backs! Keep it orderly!" yelled Jack.

A good portion of the men had ceased to hear him, only concerned with getting away from the devastating weapons of the Swabian soldiers. Jack felt bullets whizzing around him, especially now that there was little to separate him from the Swabians, and he began to move faster as he struggled to reach the strategic reserve battalion.

Thankfully, he had positioned them in an area just behind a small crest of sand dunes near the middle of the field. Jack had instructed all of them to lie prone to the ground, hiding themselves from view so that their reveal on the battlefield would be that much more demoralizing to the Swabians. It wasn't until the Andalucians had made their way across those few hundred yards to the reserve that he instructed them to move to the flanks as the Javan marines rose up as one.

Jack hit the sand and looked back out to the battlefield. From this low rise, he could see just about all that was unfolding around him. On the flanks, his marines still engaged the tattered remnants of the clans, but as those flanks got closer to his center, they were starting to yield backwards. The men on the far ends of each flank stood firm, which had the habit of drawing the attacking forces into the center.

Directly in front of him, the Swabians appeared to be confused, many of them wondering what the hell the Andalucians were doing or why they were running away. Several of them thought to attack the flanks, but found a much more equal opponent in the marines.

That's when many of them got the first sight of the reserve battalion as they made their position known on the battlefield. A good portion of those Swabians stopped in their tracks as they tried to organize some semblance of a battle line but it was too late.

"Ready, boys?" roared Greg over the sound of battle. "Let's give these bastards some payback! Fire!"

The massed ranks of NT-12s opened up as one roar and annihilated the front ranks of Swabians. In return, many of the Swabians were able to get off shots, but the confusion had already set in—they hadn't expected to see the reserve standing strong in the rear.

Greg's men opened up fire again, destroying more of the Swabians as they were soon joined on the flanks by the tattered remnants of the enemy clans. The battle had put a distinct bow in the Javan lines but it also had the effect of surrounding the enemy force on three sides. As the flanks of the enemy clans were cleaned up, it enabled the marines on the extreme ends to close the gap, and very soon, nearly the entire force of Swabians and Andalucians was closed off on every side.

It was then that the battle, up until that point nearly an even affair, turned into an absolute bloodbath.

The enemy clans on the flanks were the first to figure out their predicament, being completely cut off from their camps and under heavy fire. Many of them tried to break out of the perimeter, but their weapons were no match for the marines, and they were soon cut down in scores.

All too soon, it was only the Swabians left standing in the middle, in a half-hearted semi-circle as they realized their odds. Jack wondered whether they would surrender or attempt to bargain for their lives but they just kept firing. Just like the cruiser they'd sunk out at sea, the Swabians didn't know when to give up. And they kept up the battle as the death grip around them tightened even further.

The last dramatic act of the battle was the sudden movement of about two platoons worth of Swabians as they tried to break out of the circle of death. They headed for the most sparsely-populated portion of the line—the part that closed off last, which also happened to be the straightest line back to their camp. They attacked it with such ferocity that, for a moment, Jack thought they might break through. Yet the marines held strong and defeated the attack, the last of the attackers falling into the sand no more than ten feet from the rest of the marines.

The rest of the attack was moped up from there. The last Swabians went down fighting, huddled together in a circle no more than fifteen feet across. As soon as they were down, all the firing stopped just as eerily as it began.

"Good god, Jack," said Greg as the man approached him after the last Swabian fell. "We've destroyed them."

He wasn't exaggerating. Almost the entire enemy force that had filled the opposite side of the battlefield that morning now laid dead on the field. Jack's gambit worked spectacularly, drawing the enemy into his own lines without breaking while he surrounded them on all sides. Cutting off their only escape route, the enemy forces could do nothing else but wait to die. In doing so, they were completely destroyed.

And once again, Jack was the undisputed master of Andalucia.

*****

"Seventeen marines," said Greg some hours after the battle. "That's the entire butcher's bill for this battle. Seventeen."

"We lost considerably more of the Andalucians but I fear we would've lost more of them with a more traditional battle," said Jack as they walked along the battlefield. It was early evening now, and the process of attending to the wounded and dying was already heavily underway.

"For the loss of seventeen marines and some more Andalucians, we defeated an army that outnumbered us by a quarter and had an equal number of rifles," said Greg. "Hell, not even defeated. You completely annihilated them, Jack."

"We did," he said while patting the man's back. "The boys did good today. They did an excellent job. I've never been prouder of the men."

"I think they'll sleep well tonight, Jack. I heard them all talking about this victory. This will be one for the history books. They should be teaching this one at the academies!"

Jack chuckled. "Never bet against a Javan marine to get the job done."

"You're not kidding there," said Greg with a look of pride.

That evening there were considerable sounds of celebration in the camp as the marines let loose to commemorate their victory. Jack had thoughts about getting them to quiet down but ultimately let them celebrate. They'd been cramped up in ships for the last three weeks to get to this island, about as far away from home as they've ever been, and they won an important battle on the day they arrived here. As far as he was concerned, they'd earned the right to some jubilation.

What wasn't a happy scenario was the delegation he received from the defeated clans just after sundown. This time, there were no deputies or warriors to salute their king when they arrived. Just about every able-bodied man had perished with the army.

That meant the only ones left of the Gartala, the Lapusa, and the other clans were the very young, the women, and the very old. It was a heartbreaking scene as the families of those clans presented themselves to surrender to Jack, many of them still crying at the loss of their husbands, sons, and fathers. They now looked to him for guidance in the absence of their men.

In that matter, Jack had no idea what to do with them. Without their menfolk, they would surely perish in the harsh Andalucian environment, but he had no heart for letting those clans die off after all they'd lost on this day. It was for that reason that he ordered the camps to be combined. His allied clans would absorb the clans of the defeated, and what had previously been two peoples would now become one.

There was one glaring change that he needed to make before that could happen. Before the peoples of the defeated clans could join with his, he next commanded them to free their slaves and cast their neck shackles to the sands. Between them, another two thousand slaves suddenly found their freedom, and Jack decided they would follow him back to Septhada in order to receive some money from the newly-minted public slave fund, courtesy of the mines that had been financed off the backs of the Swabians.

In that moment, it wasn't just the marines celebrating that evening. They were soon joined by all those former slaves, celebrating the momentous event that had just passed.

Jack listened from his tent late that evening as the sounds of celebration carried on. From behind him, Kat slipped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back.

"Come to bed, will you? I'm sleepy, Jack."

He chuckled lightly and patted her hand. "I'm not going to be able to sleep with all this noise."

"Then just come to bed and hold me? And together we can enjoy all that this means for Andalucia?" she asked while tugging him to bed.

Jack nodded and let her drag him over. Once he was in bed, she curled up against his side and rested her head against his chest. As usual, her blonde locks tickled his face, yet he still found the feeling comfortable.

"We did good today. I still don't know how but we turned it all around," he whispered against her head.

"You turned it around," said Kat as she turned her head to look at him. "You did it, Jack. I knew you could do it."

Jack nodded slightly. "I just hope that Luke and Abigail can destroy that Occie fleet now. Before they become a bigger threat."

*****

The morning following the reunion with Jack, Luke was on the bridge of the Valiant earlier than usual. He already had time to digest the message about the victory over the Swabians on land yesterday, and this meant he was looking to truly finish the job by forcing a decisive battle on the Occitanian forces that remained in the area.

According to the map they'd been given, the Occies couldn't have been too far away, assuming they hadn't moved. His force was rapidly closing in on their last sighted position while to the east, the Destiny was headed to the same coordinates. The hope was for both forces to converge on the Occie task force from two sides, preventing them from achieving fully concentrated fire on any one side. At least, that was the hope.

They had to find the enemy first, which could usually be the most challenging part when you have miles upon miles of ocean with which to hide in.

Around midmorning, Luke sat at his command station watching the horizon while Anna worked at her own. She'd heard all the news from yesterday, and at this very moment, she'd been asking about what they saw when they landed ashore.

"Nothing but sand as far as you can see. Bleak country," said Luke, describing the meeting with Jack. "At least it was good to see old friends again."

Anna nodded slowly before turning to look at him. "Speaking of which, how was Jack? How'd he look?"

"He's got a great tan right now," teased Luke, earning a look of annoyance from the younger officer.

"No, I mean how was he really? Did he look all right?"

"He was fine, Anna. No more worse for wear. Especially now that he's king."

"I'm still trying to digest that news," she said while she rubbed her arms. "It just seems too unreal."

"To me as well," he said with a knowing look. "I know why you're asking, but trust me, he's well. And after yesterday, he'll be doing much better."

Anna nodded quietly. "I hope when this is all over I might be able to see him again. Or at very least my sister. I've missed her all this time that we've been gone."

"Luckily for you, the Destiny is just over that horizon and should be converging on this position soon. If all goes well, you might even see her today," he said.

"I'm looking forward to that," she said solemnly. "I left so quickly that I wouldn't be surprised if she's still upset with me."

"I'm sure you'll get a chance to figure it all out soon," said Luke. "But first, we have to find the—"

Both of them were interrupted from that conversation by the chirping of the command radio. It was from the scouting channel on one of the destroyers directly in front of the task force. "Enemy spotted dead ahead!" What came next was the reading of the coordinates of the sighted position. Luke sprung up from his seat and grabbed his binoculars, scanning the direction of the sighting. Even though he could barely make out anything in that direction, he knew the time had come to finish the job they started back at Quiller's Cove.

"Sound the call to battle-stations," he said back to Anna. "Get word to all commanders, and find out how close the Destiny is."

Moments later, the warning system of the ship roared into action as the various sailors of the Valiant put down their midmorning tasks to attend to their stations. The radio chatter exploded as well, as the various officers and commanders set about lining up their positions and how to approach the enemy task force.

Their current position had the three cruisers side by side and moving parallel to the coast, with the Valiant the closest to shore. All the destroyers were in front of the task force, spread out widely to search the most ground but still being close enough to offer support to the cruisers if needed. It was the cruiser on the far left, directly ahead of the Valiant, that spotted the task force.

It was only once they were close enough that Luke was able to see their line of four destroyers, wrapped protectively around the outside of the Occie task force, with the three other cruisers and the battleship in the middle. The position had the most protection for the battleship and meant they'd have to deal with any threats from the destroyers, such as torpedoes, first.

"Luke, can you read me?" came Abigail's voice from the command radio a moment later.

"Can hear you loud and clear, Abigail. Where are you?"

"Directly to your east and coming in hot. We're not far from the sighted position."

"Okay, all commanders listen in, here's what I want us to do," said Luke, ironing out a plan that had begun to take form. "I want the Destiny to sail on a northwesterly course and engage those cruisers on the northern end of their task force. The rest of us are going to sail on a northeasterly course, in the direction of the current position of the Destiny and rake our shells against the other cruisers. I want the destroyers to close in and try to get within torpedo range. And if one of those enemy destroyers gets too close, feel free to blast it out of the water. Any questions?"

"All clear, Luke," said Mike Dawson of the Stardust. "Wishing you all good shootin' out there."

As Luke's orders were radioed to the engine room, the Valiant assumed its new, northeasterly course while the Horton and the Stardust took the same. On the horizon, the large, hulking forms of the enemy warships drifted further into view and based upon their earlier positions, they had started to move.

They were coming closer to the rest of the Javan force.

"Get those guns ready, Bill," said Luke to his chief weapons head. "We may have some element of surprise here, but I don't want to draw the attention of that battleship without getting a few hits in first."

"Will be ready soon, Luke. With this many ships, do you want to throw in one of those Sorellan fire canisters? We haven't had the chance to use one yet," said Bill.

Luke thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Let's do it. Time to see what that stuff can do. It might buy us enough time just based on their surprisal alone."

"Aye, sir, we'll get it loaded. We need another thirty seconds for the first volley."

Luke watched from the bridge as the task force sailed closer to the enemy. Between them, the destroyers rushed forth, many of their smaller caliber guns already barking and throwing up streams of water near the enemy destroyers. The two closest destroyers to his position swarmed against the southern most, a two-on-one struggle that looked to be the first to shed blood.

Luke watched as a large explosion rocked the small enemy destroyer, a good hit from his own side that sent a cloud of smoke into the air.

"Good hit," he muttered under his breath.

"Luke, the guns are ready to fire on your command!"

"Good," he said, looking past that first destroyer to the nearest cruiser. "Fire now, Bill."

The ship buckled as the shots sailed into the air on its course to the nearest enemy cruiser. One shot in all of them connected, striking the bow of the ship and throwing up smoke.

"Got one hit, Bill. Dial in the next one, please," said Luke.

"You got it. Give us sixty more seconds, and we'll have the first Sorellan fire shot."

Luke watched the rest of the field while he waited. Overhead, a crushing volley from the Horton raced toward the same cruiser while the Stardust focused on the western most one. While the Horton overshot just like the Valiant did, the Stardust made the first big blow of the day.

And what a shot it was. That particular ordnance must have struck a vulnerable spot on the Occie cruiser because the explosion was large enough to throw a mighty fireball into the air.

"Holy shit, look at that!" yelled Bill from behind him as Luke watched the remains of the enemy cruiser break nearly down the center, its hull totally crippled by the explosion. There was a further ripple of smaller explosions, but nothing quite matched the intensity of that first blast. That particular cruiser didn't have much life left to it. Once it's hull lost all integrity, it slipped beneath the waves several minutes later, the fastest that Luke had ever seen a ship go under in his entire career.

"One down, let's keep on going!" he urged through the radio as they prepared their next volleys.

"Luke, this is Abigail. We're sending out our first volley now!"

Luke looked out to the horizon to watch an arcing shot appear from the northeast of his own position. The Destiny's shot focused on the third enemy cruiser, but in its position behind the battleship, Luke could barely make out whether the shots had connected or not.

"The Sorellan fire is ready, Luke," said Bill, pulling him back to the present.

"Let it go, Bill. Let's see what happens."

The ship jolted like it normally did, and Luke watched as the ordnance raced toward the enemy cruiser. The adjustments in the range made sure that it landed nearly right on target.

The Sorellan fire canisters exploded. A heavy coating of the bright yellow fire erupted from the spent shot and spread outwards in every direction, coating just about the entire cruiser in the unquenchable fireball. Luke's mouth fell open as he watched it consume the warship, leaving no part of the surface untouched by the flames. Every sailor who had been on the main deck found themselves covered in a fire they couldn't put out, and very soon, many of them rushed to jump off the ship, thinking the water was the only way to stay alive.

How very wrong they were.

Luke watched as men bobbed along in the waves, the flames still consuming their charred flesh as more of their comrades flooded overboard.

"That's horrifying," said Anna from behind him, watching as the ship burned rapidly. Luke could only nod silently in response as the rest of the battle raged on around him.

However, the effects of the loss of two cruisers within the opening minutes of the battle must have had a serious effect on the Occitanians. Even as the cruiser that was hit by Sorellan fire remained afloat (but dead in the water after the death of so many of its crew), the enemy seemed to lose heart and began to steam a course directly to the south, away from both sections of Javan forces.

"They are running to the south," said Luke through the command radio. "Abigail, turn the Destiny to match their course while Mike and Pete, let's bring our ships on a turn due east and then go back to the southwest."

What Luke couldn't see was that the last enemy cruiser afloat was already burning. The Destiny had gotten several good shots on it, and the plume of smoke it left behind on their southerly course more than marked the way.

She would make short work of it soon after, leaving not one enemy cruiser operational. All that remained of the capital ships was the battleship.

At that point, it was time for the Javans to taste a loss. One of the destroyers that had sailed in to engage the enemy was caught up with fire from two other vessels. It sparked some flames briefly until a hole was punched under her waterline. Luke didn't notice the problem while he focused on the cruisers until he saw the destroyer with its entire stern below water. It wouldn't stay afloat much longer and soon slipped below the waves.

As the destroyers kept angling for position, Luke had all the cruisers now focus on the sole battleship as it ran to the south. It wasn't running without getting off its own volleys though, and several holes were punched into the Horton after a few good shots. However, it wasn't nearly enough to forestall the inevitable.

"Firing now, Luke," said Mike from the Stardust as the mighty cruiser once more slipped out another heavy burst of ordnance. It was soon matched by the Valiant shortly after, with the Destiny capping off the heavy round. All around the enemy battleship, their shots hit the mark. As it slipped past the still burning Sorellan fire, parts of its bow became consumed with the insatiable flames.

Its fate was sealed by the next shot from the Horton, repayment for the volley it had absorbed earlier. A smaller explosion opened up near the waterline of the bow, past the heavily-reinforced portions of the hull, and started to flood the lower decks of the ship.

Even as its bow started to dip into the waves, the battleship kept firing. The Horton took another glancing blow before the next combined volley from all of them finally shut up its batteries. There was nothing left for the battleship to do now. With a fire raging on its deck, its batteries out of commission, and its bow beneath the waves, the ship slowly went dark, and the great Occitanian battleship slipped beneath the waves to rest on the sandy bottom beneath it.

At that point in the battle, only two destroyers remained of the enemy force. They had survived the initial engagements largely intact, but seeing the carnage against the other cruisers, they had attempted to make a run for it, escaping to the east as the rest of the ships had turned south. Once the battleship was out of commission, they became the new target practice. The ship closest to the Valiant was the last to go after taking punishing damage from the Stardust. It rolled over and capsized shortly after, going down not long after that long blow.

By some grace or miracle, the sole remaining enemy destroyer managed to slip through the waves even after taking a small blow from the Destiny. It managed to escape the carnage, quickly slipping into a nearby fog bank that soon prevented its detection.

"Go after that last enemy destroyer," said Luke into the command radio. "I don't want any of them getting back to Occitania. Great shooting to all of you."

He wanted to say more to them but Luke was still shocked. This Occitanian force that had so troubled them for the past couple months was now obliterated, with almost all the tonnage now laying on the seafloor beneath them. In a war that had seen little to no successes on the Javan side, it was a victory that they desperately needed.

It also cleared the seas and firmly established Javan control not only of the Fourth Vector but of its approaches as well. The Occitanians would probably think twice about sending such a force back into this part of the world again.

When all said and done, the casualties from their battle were very light for the damage that they'd caused. The Horton would need some additional work, but judging by the reports he received from Pete, there was nothing that was life-threatening.

The loss of one of the destroyers was tough though and most of the work for the rest of the day was getting to the survivors. While they pulled out nearly one hundred survivors from the destroyer, they had nearly fifteen hundred Occitanians that were still alive in the water. A very tiny portion of those were from the cruiser that had been hit by the Sorellan fire, most of them being below deck away from the flames. Luke had to wait until the fire burned out toward the end of the day until those men could begin to be rescued. Once they were, the ship was abandoned and used as target practice since it was of no further use to them. It was just too charred.

"What the hell are we going to do with this many Occies?" asked Bill as they picked up another group of them. "We don't have the room to store their whole fleet."

"We may have to leave them here in Andalucia," said Luke. "I'm sure Jack can round up some prison camps for them, at least until the war is over."

"I'm sure this is going to put quite a thorn in their paws," said Anna with an amused laugh. She then turned to Luke as the laugh left her face. "That Sorellan fire is no toy though. It's as deadly as it sounds."

"Just be thankful that it's on our side," he replied. "Can you imagine that in the hands of the Occies? Or the Swabians?"

She shuddered in response. "No, I don't want to picture that."

Luke looked out and contemplated the results of the battle. They'd gotten lucky with those first few hits on the cruisers that seemed to have spooked the rest of their forces. While the battleship had put up the best fight of all of them, in the end, it was no match for the combined effort of all the cruisers.

"Jack will want all the details as soon as I can reach him," said Luke as he turned to leave the bridge. "And I really want to tell him all about this victory!"