Chapter Twelve

Mount Cernonnous was not the biggest mountain Daniel every climbed by far but it was a good enough hill to cause him to take one ten minute break dropping the pack from his ground as he sat on the dirt.  Earlier today as Annie helped Calla get dressed Daniel asked Ares what was on the top of the mountain and Ares responded as though he didn’t understand the question.  Wishing he had the digital camera with him as evidence, he explained to Ares about the plagues in the ruins and how his statue just happened to stand in the very center of the altar.  In a very low voice Ares discussed the subject of Guinevere with Daniel for he hoped was the very last time.

Ares explained that, yes, they landed on the top of the mountain and there had been a strange rain which lightly stung the skin. Ares offered her his cloak.  He didn’t know anything about a whirling vortex inside a gaping mouth in the sky. Likewise, he knew nothing about giant snakes other than Python nor did he know about any skeletal creatures in straight jackets. To him that all sounded like embellishment by the savages that inhabited the planet all those centuries ago.  There was a cave that they took shelter in but it was small and nothing out of the ordinary and there certainly wasn’t any Oracle living in it.  When the storm passed they emerged from the cave, Ares begged her to return to Earth with him—according to the Big Guy he even got down on his knees to do so!—but she refused saying there was nothing left for her on Earth now that Camelot had been destroyed.  She would build a new kingdom here one that honored the old Gods and the old ways. It would be a kingdom of peace and not of war or warriors, as such, Ares wasn’t particularly welcome.

Ares closed his story in the same low voice which he started. “Even though it broke my heart and was much against my better judgment I left her here.” He didn’t understand Jackson’s insistence on going to the top of the mountain when he should be accompanying them to the meeting this morning. Even if he couldn’t attend he could wait outside for moral support. To Ares’ way of thinking, at this point in her life, Jackson’s place was at Calla’s side and nowhere else.

“Left who where, Father?” Calla asked as she came into the kitchen catching the two men by surprise. She looked up to see that she may have interrupted something very important.

“Old war stories,” Ares responded easily as he took her in. Calla’s hair was pulled back for the day and not pinned to her head as he would have liked. She looked a bit more disheveled than yesterday when her dress was fresh but she stood straight and tall enough.

Soon after they were all off for the day; Ares and Calla to their meeting with the Vedic and the Sovereign, Annie to the nearest lab where she’d been promised her first look at their solution to the UPs fertility problem, John Watson waited patiently in the house and Daniel climbed a mountain while Nick waited to be let out of jail.

**

Nicholas heard the jailor coming long before he saw her but more than that he heard her steady jangle of keys and the footsteps which accompanied her.  A few moments later she and two other women stood outside the bars. Nick backed up three steps when she slid the key into the lock and opened the door.  The trio just stood there. “What?”

The jailor cleared her throat and folded her hands across her mid-section with the keys still slightly jangling together.  “It seems there was an error, Colonel Jackson. You are free to go. A carriage is waiting to take you to the palace where you will join Queen Calla and Lord Ares.”

Thirty-five years old and his Mother saved his ass.  Nick didn’t care at this moment because he was getting out of here.  The women backed up as he came forward and ducked to get under the door.  Outside the prison walls he found a carriage waiting just as they said and in the backseat was President Watson.

“Sir.” Nicholas said acknowledging the man as he climbed into the back of the carriage.

“Good to see you, Colonel Jackson.  Are you all right?”

That was a good question. Nick sure felt a lot better today than he did yesterday but he had a lingering headache.  It wasn’t anything serious just this thin dull ache at the back of his head. He still couldn’t remember anything between the time his Father left the planet and the time he woke up puking his guts out in the jail cell. “Been better,” he admitted as the carriage pulled away. At first he found the jostling side to side motion nauseating and was afraid he might throw up again but he hadn’t eaten anything at all in the last 24 hours or so.  After a little while the rocking motion almost became comforting, like a baby late at night wrapped up warm in a blanket and snug in its mother’s arms while she sang a lullaby in their favorite rocking chair.

**

 Sitting in the Sovereign’s throne room Calla drank the tea she was offered but Ares didn’t care for tea so he took a pass.  “What are you doing?” Ares asked in a low whisper as he sat across the table from her. While Jackson may never get used to the custom of giving women away to visiting diplomats, Ares thought it was a very nice gesture on the home team’s part and, indeed, thought it to be one the better perks of diplomatic affairs. This was different. This was his Daughter making the demand and not the Sovereign or the Vedic making the offer.  Calla would never do anything like this it just wasn’t in her or so Ares felt.

“Don’t they please you?” She looked back at the row of little tarts standing on the left side of Nibor’s throne.

They pleased the hell out of him and Ares would like nothing more than to get them alone in a room filled with those Xerinium fertility statues. He leaned a little further over the table. “I haven’t…well I haven’t since before you repaired me.” Ares confessed.

Calla looked at him wide-eyed. “You haven’t?” She whispered in disbelief. Surely he was lying but what was the point?  “Then I’d say it’s about damn time that you did. Get rid of some of those pent-up frustrations, Father. After all, you seemed able enough last night.”

He was wondering when they were going to get around to that and it was turn to sit back and look at her.  Ares didn’t say that his dick didn’t work; of course she knew that it worked! It was the fact that this was coming from her that bothered him. If she were anyone else he wouldn’t care and would jump at the idea of taking all those women off with him.  “That’s not the point, this isn’t like you.” Perhaps the Xerinium was affecting her judgment.  “One more time; what are you doing?”

Before she could answer the door opened and two women walked into the room. “I’m the Queen; you’ll do what I say.”  Calla hissed and then gently put the tea cup down and rose from her seat.  She crossed the room to where the two women were nervously standing and took her time looking them over. The blonde she was a piece of work with all of her piercings but the little dark haired one, Calla saw no piercings on her other than her navel.  “Go stand over there with the other whores.”

Looking at the line of eight lovely ladies, Ares’ mouth began to salivate.  What a wonderful gift for a Daughter to give her Father.  If this was what she really wanted then he’d just have to buck up and do it.  Behind him the door opened again.

Calla’s anger subsided for a moment when she saw Nicholas enter the room with President Watson.  They stopped in the doorway and looked around wondering just what it was they were interrupting.  “Come here, Nicholas.”

Still looking around Nicholas walked over to his Mother who was standing next to a whole row of beautiful and under-dressed women. “M-..Que..Lad…” he stuttered as he was never sure what to call her under circumstances like these. “Hi,” Nick settled on and put an arm around her waist.  He looked over at the women staring back at him and saw the lust in their eyes. “What’s going on?”

Carefully Calla studied him and the women to her right. Nicholas didn’t recognize any of them.  “I want you to go to the lab now and collect your wife,” Calla said to him, “we’ll meet back at the house after your Father gets off the mountain.”

“What mountain? What house?”

“I’ll explain later when we’re home. Go on now.”  She looked past Nicholas to John Watson. “Mr. President, I believe the Sovereign has something for you.”

Nick didn’t much like Queen Calla but what he liked even less was being dismissed by his own Mother.  Nonetheless this was a diplomatic affair which didn’t seem to concern him any longer. All Calla wanted was to see him so she could be sure he was safely out of jail.  “See you…at the house?” It was more of a question than a statement. Nick let diplomatic affairs be damned for a moment as he bent and kissed her cheek. “See you soon.”  He stepped back as President Watson stepped forward.

Vedic D’Sila rose from her seat on the smaller throne and motioned for one of the guards to bring her something.  When the silver tablet was handed to her she held it out for President Watson. “Our business has successfully been concluded,” she said, “according to the terms here is the secret of turning water into naquada.”

“Thank you Vedic.” President Watson said as he took the tablet from her hand. “Earth is very grateful to you.”

“Yes, they are,” Calla interjected. “I’m sure they will begin sending scientists through to aid you with the Stargate just as soon as it is confirmed that your solution works.”

John Watson pursed his lips and thought about what she said. He’d been about to tell the Vedic that scientists would begin arriving as soon as he got back but her plan seemed better. These people just couldn’t be trusted and certainly not until he got the full story regarding the sudden dropping charges against Colonel Jackson.  “Yes, we will.”  President Watson gave a little bow. “Here’s to a long and mutually prosperous relationship between our two worlds.”

“This is our wish as well.” The Vedic agreed and re-took her seat.

President Watson began to walk away but Calla caught his arm. “You know how important that is,” she whispered and touched the cold metal of the tablet in his hands, “you will be sure the information is available to every country equally, won’t you? No one must have a market on this.”

No, no one could be allowed to corner the market on this technology it had to be made available to every single country and corner of the globe whether they were a member of UCOE or not.  “Yes.”

Calla let go of his arm and watched as he and Nicholas were escorted from the room.  “We trust that you are satisfied.” The Vedic intoned as the door closed.

“We are.” Calla agreed and then looked at the line of women once more. “Almost. My Father?”

“Take them with our compliments, Lord Ares.” Nibor said and gestured toward the line of beautiful ladies.  “They are yours for the remainder of your stay.”  The women gathered around the giant with the wavy salt and pepper hair.  Nicholas had been grand but this one was even better.  “Queen Calla we would now make a request of you.”

Just when she thought it was over. “Yes, Sovereign, what is it?”

“Only that while your Father is otherwise engaged and your Husband is scaling the mountain you grace us with your presence for the day.  We would like to show you our world.”

It seemed a small enough request even though what she’d really like to do was go place warm and lie down.  “I would be honored.”  The Sovereign and the Vedic rose to descend the steps and join the small group.  They lead the way to the door while Calla stayed behind and drew Ares away from the group of ladies.  “See that one, the one with the short dark hair?” She whispered as he bent to catch her words in his ear.

“Yes.”

“Make her suffer.”

The softly whispered words rang so loudly in his head Ares stood straight up. “My Queen?”

Calla looked up at him and smiled. “Have a lovely time, Father.” She said in a louder voice and followed the Sovereign and Vedic from the room.

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