Chapter Eleven

The new day arose and so did Calla with renewed vigor.  Sitting up in the bed she looked around in a light daze and saw Daniel still snoozing beside her. She remembered their night and smiled a satisfied grin as she gazed down at him deep in slumber. Last night had been exceptional, how long had it been since they’d made love like that? Not since their visit to the Mohun planet perhaps?  So many years ago she could hardly remember the trip other than to say it was filled with gratifying lovemaking but ended with her leaving with Naganti Kanan.  This planet was so very much like that one, she wondered if Daniel realized that yet.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed she rose without my effort or pain and wandered into the bathroom to wash up before her meeting with the Sovereign.  Today she was going to get her Son out of jail and that was not up for debate. She would go in there and prove to them that she knew Nicholas was manipulated, he was set up somehow and the Gods only knew for what ends but this charade was over.  With a sigh she hoped that Nicholas and Annie would be able to mend their marriage when the smoke cleared. He loved her so much and Calla was positive Annie felt the same; why would she spend so many years with him if she didn’t love him? Wasn’t in love with him?  Annie was good for Nicholas, she brought him two beautiful children and peace those were things Calla couldn’t do for her most favored Son.

Coming back into the bed she saw Daniel was awake. “Good morning, my love.”

“Morning.” He smiled and beckoned her over with his hand. “Come back to bed.”

Calla blushed and felt the hot rush of color in her cheeks. “I can’t.” She said softly. “You rest.”

“You don’t want me to go with you?”

“You weren’t invited.” She reminded him and frowned.  “I’m going to end this…this…whatever it is and then we’re going home.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Daniel said encouragingly.  There was something he wanted, needed, to do before they left this planet.  “Since I’m not invited, would you mind if I go climb a mountain today?”

Calla had just started stepping into her stockings as she turned to look at him. “What mountain?”  It wasn’t the best time to go rock climbing as far as she could see. “For what?”

It was Daniel’s turn to sigh as he rolled out of the comfortable bed and noticed the unique light fixture above it.  On the base of a ceiling fan were the customary images of Cernunnous and Brigid it was doubtless the whole thing was made of Xerinium.  Well, no matter what, it had been a very good night last night.  “To dig in the dirt.” He confessed not wanting to alarm her with the details.

“Oh, I see, going on a treasure hunt, are you? In your best suit?”  She tittered as Daniel looked over at the chair to see his black suit draped over it. He frowned and she tittered again with relief as she went back to putting on the white stockings and followed them with the pretty full slip.  “Sure, go ahead. I hope you find something wonderful.”

“Yeah, like a pair of jeans or something.” Daniel mused and then sighed. He’d had to look around for something other than the Armani to go rock climbing in. He gazed at the black dress shows. “And a pair of Reeboks.”  Not much chance of finding either of those things here but he’d look around for something and make do.

“You’ll be here when I get back?”

Sengul was a rather flat planet and what they considered a mountain most people would simply consider a very good sized hill.  It shouldn’t take long to get to the top and back. “Right here.” He slipped his hands around her waist to feel the silky material of the slip below his palms and the curves below it. “Have I told you yet?”

Calla leaned her head back against his shoulder. “Told me what?”

“How much I love you and how incredible last night was?”

Tilting her face upward she kissed his cheek. “I love you too. It was pretty good, wasn’t it?”

Daniel snickered and held her a little closer. “Fantastic.” He agreed.  He thought about it for a moment but then went on. “Don’t take this the wrong way, ok, Cal?”  He felt her stiffen in his arms. “But you look really good today.” Daniel turned her around. “How do you feel?”

“Today is a good day.” Calla replied.  Her muscles were not so sore and stiff her bones felt strong but her hair was still silver and there were still those lines on her face.  Her midsection was sore from last nights’ festivities and Daniel pushing her so hard into the edge of the table. She had a long bruise there this morning but the slip covered it and there was no need to mention it right now.  “We’re all going home.”

**

Two hours later Queen Calla and her Father Lord Ares were escorted to the Sovereign’s palace and to her Throne Room where they waited a half an hour for Nibor to grace them with her royal presence.  Calla grew more and more impatient and more and more irate each second that ticked by and she was forced to wait and pace around the overly decorated room with it’s plush purple carpeting that matched Calla’s dress and the material on the two thrones at the top of a small set of steps.  “Whatever happens Father, don’t say anything unless I tell you to.”

“What if they ask me a question?”

“Tell ‘em to fuck off.” She spat.

Ares was shocked at that. Calla hardly ever spoke so harshly.  “Are you feeling all right?” His dark eyes narrowed on her.

“I just want to take my family home, there’s nothing wrong with that is there?”

Ares patted her hand and shook his head. “No there isn’t.”

“They can’t keep my Son caged like an animal.” She grumbled and ran a hand across her face as she let out a long rush of air trying to calm her nerves.  If they didn’t let Nicholas out of jail she’d find a box of dynamite or whatever type of explosives they had on this backwater planet and blow the damn door of its hinges. “He’s done nothing wrong and this proves it.” She shook the small paper the machine had spit out last night.  “They drug him, try to poison him! Then they try and blame his actions, if there were any, on him?!” Her voice just kept getting shriller even though she was trying to control it and her anger. “What kind of people are these, Father?  Just who have we gotten into bed with here? The devil?”

“Calm down, Calla.” Ares said in a soft voice. “I promise we will all leave here today no matter what it takes.” He leaned in a little closer to her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”  He didn’t like the high pitch of her voice or the flush of color in her cheeks which made her look feverish.  “This place, you shouldn’t be here.”

“What else was I going to do, Father?” She huffed and threw her hands into the air.  Her body felt better than it had a very long time but her head was spinning and she was almost sure she wasn’t going to get sick at any moment.  It seemed the Xerinium was turning out to be a double-edge sword.

Behind them the heavy wooden doors opened and a line of well built women walked into the room with Vedic D’Sila and Sovereign Nibor in the midst of them.

“You’re on.” Ares whispered as they rose to face those entering.

“Queen Calla,” Nibor began in a falsely kind voice, “so good of you to come and meet with us.”  She looked up at the very tall and ruggedly handsome man next to her. “Lord Ares, you honor us.”

“You requested my presence and so I am here to stand with my Daughter.” Ares reminded her without any kindness at all.  The God of War wasn’t one to suffer diplomatic meetings and affairs easily.

“So we did,” D’Sila said as she walked past them without any further acknowledgement and took a seat in the smaller but equally impressive chair next to the Sovereign’s throne.  “We trust all is well with Colonel Jackson this morning.”

“We wouldn’t know,” Calla said through slotted lips though she tried to be pleasant. “When we went to the prison this morning we were not allowed in to see him.”

Sovereign Nibor sighed and shook her dyed head. “That is a shame. You must have arrived before visiting hours.” She explained without warmth.

Visiting hours?  Calla had traveled several million light years to be here the least they could do was extend the goddamn visiting hours.  “Perhaps that was it.” She agreed.  “We would like to see what evidence you have against…Colonel Jackson.”

“Yes, what do you have to back up these outrageous charges?” Ares asked.

Sovereign Nibor didn’t speak but instead gestured toward the amazingly good looking and somewhere under half-dressed women who had entered the room with her.  Calla turned her head to look at the seven women who’d lined up on the right side of the throne descended down the eight steps. “Yes?”

“My dear, these are the women Colonel Jackson assaulted and they demand retribution.” D’Sila told her.  “They will tell you all of the details of how your Son brutalized them and you will understand….”

“Brutalized them?” Calla interrupted unable to sit here making chit-chat any longer. “They look unharmed to me.” That was true enough. By the way they were dressed or not dressed depending on your point of view it would be easy enough to see any bruises or other marks Nicholas had left on them. They were unscathed. “What am I to understand, Vedic? Am I to understand how they drugged him? Is that what I’m to understand?”

“Drug Colonel Jackson?” The pasted smile on D’Sila’s face faltered for a moment.  “We have no idea what you mean.”

“Perhaps this will help.” Calla challenged and without being asked or told to she approached the throne and Nibor.  The women lined up near the Sovereign moved as if to protect her from an approaching enemy.  “Get out of my way you little tarts.” Calla hissed as she pushed them aside and ascended the steps to where Nibor was seated.  “Doctor Jackson drew a bit of Colonel Jackson’s Ichor last night when we visited. Here are her results.” She handed the paper to Nibor but D’Sila snatched it from her hand.

“What is this?” D’Sila asked as her eyes scanned the read out.

“It proves that one of your slu…” Calla cleared her throat as she glared at the scantily clad women with their bare tight mid-drifts and bellybutton jewels. Some of them with pierced eye brows and noses others with faces unblemished and Calla knew what those piercings and jewels meant and wondered which ones stood for Nicholas. With great effort she did her best to regain control of her temper, “one of your subjects drugged Colonel Jackson. He was slipped Xerinium, this is what made him ill yesterday and, if anything occurred at all between him and these women it was that which caused it.”  Her emerald eyes narrowed on D’Sila. “So you see, Vedic, if anyone was assaulted it was my Son.”  She snatched the paper from D’Silas’ hand and gave it to Nibor. “You look at it; you lead here, not her. Why does she always speak for you?”

“You are a guest here, Queen Calla,” D’Sila reminded her in a tight voice, “is this how Olympians behave when they have been invited…”

“Invited?” Ares almost thundered. “We were made to come here.  Colonel Jackson and his team, along with Daniel came here willingly; to open relations and form a friendship between our two worlds…is this how you treat those you invite to your kingdom?”

Sovereign Nibor looked at the paper which was so rudely shoved into her hand and then it handed it back to D’Sila.  “We will have one of our doctors examine him to see if what you say is true.”

Calla wanted to scream. “It is true!” She said through gritted teeth.  “By now most of it has left his system and you will only find trace amounts of it. We did not come here to pick a fight, we came in the spirit of friendship, but if it’s a fight you want, I will surely give you one.” She turned her back to the two biddies on their thrones and rushed down the steps. “Come on, Father, we’re leaving and we will not return until Nicholas is freed.”

“And our negotiated treaty?” D’Sila said from behind them as she rose.

Calla turned around. “This is a phrase you may not be familiar with Vedic but…take your treaty and shove it.”

“Shove? It?” D’Sila asked quite perplexed.

“Yeah, shove it up your over-privileged fat ass.” Ares finished for Calla. “You will get nothing from us. We do not treat with liars.”

D’Silas’ thin lips pulled back into a grimace.  She and Nibor had expected them to come in contrite and to beg for Colonel Jackson’s return offering anything and everything to gain that end but it seemed they misjudged the small woman and her very brawny Father.  However, Nibor and D’Sila had not gone to all this trouble to walk away empty handed and as far as D’Sila could see there was only one option left for them to save face.  “Colonel Jackson is quite a handsome young man,” she intoned quietly and then looked at the six women lined up on the steps.  “Such an act would be understandable given your world’s penchant for this… monogamy.” She said flippantly.

“Understandable?” Calla railed.  “They rape my Son and you call it understandable?  I find that very hard to believe since you wanted to sentence him to death for the same supposed crime. What kind of double-standards does this world operate on?”

“We would not call it rape,” D’Sila said with a smile.

“We would.” Calla lobbed back.

“At the most,” D’Sila sighed, “we might consider it seduction if it were true.” Now she looked at the women waiting silently. “Is it? Did one or more of you slip Colonel Jackson Xerinium?”

By the tone of the cold woman’s voice they knew how to answer. One of them, a fairly young woman with reddish hair, stepped forward from the group.  “He is very handsome,” she said softly.

“He is very married.” Calla corrected.

That damn monogamy thing it was completely baffling. “Answer me, child, is this what happened?” D’Sila demanded.

“We only wanted to experience him we meant no harm.”

“No harm? You’ve locked him up! You’ve taken from him what does not belong to you and what was not offered to you!”

D’Sila retook her seat with a haughty smile. “It seems there’s been some slight miscommunication,” she offered.

In front of him Calla was seething and shaking so much that Ares put his hands on Calla’s shoulders to keep her in place.  “Such things can happen when cultures are just getting to know each other.”  Calla turned her head to look up at him and her eyes were smoldering.

“So they can, Lord Ares.” D’Sila agreed.  “We whole-heartedly apologize for any inconvenience.”

“My Son?”

“Will be freed at once, Queen Calla.  If we had known this was a mutual grouping…”

Calla went to open her mouth once more but felt Ares’ hands grip her shoulders tighter and she stayed silent.

“This never would have happened.” D’Sila finished. “Go to the prison and make sure Colonel Jackson is well and released immediately.”  She said to one of the Royal Guards near the entryway to the throne room.  The guard went to do as told but Calla spoke up.

“Wait,” she called out, “you will also give President Watson that which Earth negotiated for in good faith.  You will do it now.”

Sovereign Nibor spoke for one of only a handful of times. “Or?”

“Or Altair Ain will not hold up its end of this farce.” Calla threatened. She no longer believed that these people could help her kingdom with its fertility problem but that didn’t mean Earth had to suffer.  It was quite obvious that these people did know how to turn water into naquada. “You will free my Son now and give President Watson what he came for, you will let him go back to Earth and once I receive word that he has safely arrived and your methods work I will have Arthur’s body along with Excalibur brought to you.”

“And Morgan Le Fey?” Now it was D’Sila’s voice which grew an octave.

“I don’t believe this is a safe place for Morgan and Duncan. I do not trust you and I will not put them in danger leaving them here to fend for themselves against the Gods only know what for a year’s time.” Calla took a step towards the stairs but felt a tug on the back of her gown. She turned her head swiftly and looked to down to see that Ares had put his big boot on the hem of her dress and by the look on his face he had no intentions of letting her get any closer to them.  Calla closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath. She was getting what she wanted and this was a diplomatic affair.  Composing herself she turned back to the Vedic and the Sovereign.  “Your subjects may not be important to you but that is not the case with me.”

D’Sila waved a hand in the air toward the guard. “Go, do as Queen Calla has asked. Bring Colonel Jackson here.”  The guard left the room as D’Sila sat forward in the chair still with that fake smile on her haughty face.  “We did negotiate in good faith, Queen Calla.” D’Sila reminded her.  “I know this little…misunderstanding…has put a sour note on our new friendship and we assure you that no harm was meant.  However, while we understand your reluctance, we would still request that you hold up your end of the bargain. We will do whatever you require to ensure Morgan and Duncan’s safety while they are here.”

“If that is true then you won’t mind if security accompanies them, will you?” Calla asked.

“Security?” D’Sila inquired not liking the way that sounded.

“Yes, they will bring their own guards with them.” Calla offered.  “If you really are serious then you will not mind this in fact you will welcome it.”  Calla thought she could get Harry to accompany Morgan and Duncan to this planet though a year was a very long time to be away from home. “Of course, that all depends on whether or not they are still willing to come here.”

Morgan Le Fey had to come; she had to make the Elixir.  “If our assurance is not enough for you then, yes, anyone you find suitable may accompany them during their stay on our world.”

Ares breathed a sighed of relief believing the end of this debacle to be near when he heard Calla say that was acceptable to her but he soon held his breath once more. 

“Sovereign,” Calla began, “You wanted to kill my Son for this so-called offense but now that the truth has been revealed and it is discovered it is your subjects who committed an offense against Nicholas, what will you do about this?”

D’Sila didn’t like the way that sounded and began to speak but was promptly shut up.

“I didn’t ask you.” Calla shot. “Sovereign? What will you do about this?”

Sovereign Nibor wasn’t about to kill her own subjects over this, especially not when the setup had been condoned by the woman on the throne and hatched up by the one next to her.   What else could they do? They were desperate to get Calla here and it didn’t seem she was going to accept any polite invitation.  She was here now and there was still a full day ahead of them with so much more to do before Calla left this world undoubtedly never to return.  While they had her here they had to be quick about getting what they really wanted. “What would you suggest?”

Calla didn’t miss a beat. “You will bring the two women who slept with my Husband here to this chamber and you will do it now.”

“Slept with….”

Huffing a hearty sigh, Calla rolled her eyes and held out her hand. “Please don’t insult me or my Husband who told me everything that happened to both him and my Son. These women are guilty and should be punished for their actions.  You will bring them here,” she looked back at Ares over her shoulder, “you will offer all eight of them to my Father for the remainder of his stay on your world.”

Involuntarily Ares shook his head and took a step back from Calla and in doing so he took his foot off her dress. He couldn’t have possibly heard that right. This was the first he heard of any dalliances Jackson had while on this world and he was going to give the man an earful the next time he saw him.

Nibor looked past Calla to her Father. “What will you do with them, Lord Ares?”

Now Calla ventured to the bottom of the steps unhindered by her Father. “Whatever he damn well pleases.” Calla answered for him.  “I assure you, Vedic, they will be largely unharmed but they will know his name and they will never forget it. Since you seem to have this very unusual interest in Olympian males, I think it would be wise of you to grant this demand.” She wanted justice for Daniel and Nicholas for the crimes committed against them. Yes, she wanted a little revenge for herself.  One could not disgrace the Queen and her kingdom in such a manner and get away with it.

“Request you mean.” D’Sila said in her best Sister Agatha voice.

“I said demand and that’s what I meant.  You want to know what an Olympian male can do well here’s your chance.” Calla countered in the same tone. “What do you say, Sovereign?” Calla made sure to emphasize just who the question was being asked of.

“What are you doing?” Ares hissed in her ear.

Calla ignored him and instead waited for the Sovereign to answer.  Unknown to her, Calla was playing right into their hands and this was even better than what Nibor and D’Sila had previously hoped for.  “If this will ease your mind then we agree.” Nibor offered.  “Bring the two women here.”

“So you do know who they are.” Calla said in disgust and knew in her heart that Daniel had also been set up by these two witches.  Her mind and her heart felt a little lighter knowing they had not betrayed the women who loved them but the pit of her stomach turned with the knowledge that it was Daniel and Nicholas who had been betrayed. Daniel would probably never to come to realize what really happened, he would always think he’d done something wrong and he must have been a very willing participant but it was altogether possible that one day Nicholas’ luck would run out.  If that happened then she would do her best to help him deal with it and put the pieces of his life back together.  What Annie and the women before her didn’t seem to understand was that rape was not about sex but power when Nicholas felt that power, that power that he was so accustomed to feeling day in and day out down to the core of his very muscular body, was ripped away from him he would be devastated by that knowledge and that pervading feeling of utter helplessness.  Calla wanted to rip their hearts out, just grab the dagger from inside Ares’ jacket and hurl herself at them with a fierce warrior’s cry!  How dare they conspire against her family.  There was a price to pay for that and Calla was going to make sure she extracted every single penny.

Vedic D’Sila spoke as though she hadn’t heard Calla at all. “Please, sit. Would you like some tea?” She gestured toward the long table with its heavy wooden chairs. “Colonel Jackson and President Watson will arrive momentarily.”

Tea? That bitch could go suck an egg as far as Calla was concerned.  However, she been undiplomatic enough for one day and it was clear these two were not going to admit to their part in this growing conspiracy.  “You’re very gracious.” She said and then gave a slight curtsey before turning away from them and toward Ares who was staring at her in disbelief. “Tea Father?”  His onyx eyes narrowed on her before he turned toward the table and took a seat wondering what the hell was going on.

End of Chapter Eleven of
Golden Years
by Moon Mistress
a/k/a Lisa Beth Darling
Go to
Chapter Twelve