Maybe I forgot all the things I miss
Oh somehow I know there's more to life
than this,

I said it too many times
and I still stand firm

still I ain't seen mine
No I ain't seen mine
I've been giving just ain't been gettin'
I've been walking down that line

Only God Knows Why
Kid Rock

Thor’s ship was a lot bigger and faster than Kanan’s. All in all the people aboard spent the last weeks in hyper-space trying to catch up to Kanan’s last known position and hopefully beat them to the Dega-Bah system. Several times Daniel asked Thor and Ares just who was in the Dega-Bah system and why they wanted Calla but received no answer. Both of them were holding out on him, he could just feel it. They knew who wanted her, where they were going and why they just didn’t want to tell him.

When he wasn’t pacing around the ship Ares spent most of his time sequestered in his quarters and smoldering. Doubtlessly plotting, planning and strategizing just what he was going to do with Kanan and wondering what new and interesting ways he could come up with to torture the man to death. No big loss there. Daniel was more than willing to help Ares when it came to that.

So far away from home and lost in the blackness of space Daniel had plenty of time to wonder how his children were and if they were behaving themselves for Jack and Sam. He didn’t have to worry about that, Colleen adored her Uncle Jack and Nicholas would just about die if Sam asked him to do anything so he was sure they were all getting along just fine. Well, so long as the two of them weren’t fighting with each other that was, in that case Jack and Sam had their hands full. Daniel laughed a little to himself as he stared out into space.

All around him the stars slowed down and Daniel began to get that sick feeling in his stomach, you know the one you sometimes get when the elevator comes to a stop and your equilibrium is knocked off for a few seconds. They were coming out of hyper-space.

“Are we here?” Daniel asked as he came out of his daze and made his way over to Thor.

“No, we are not.” Thor replied. “That is the outpost where Kanan and Omar were last seen.” He pointed a thin finger at the viewing screen. “I thought you might like to question the locals while the engines cool and recharge.” Thor suggested.

“Why have we stopped?” Ares stormed out of his quarters.

Daniel relayed Thor’s suggestion to him. It was possible they could pick up some new information and they had a little time to kill. Maybe getting off the ship would do them good. Ares, Daniel and Teal’c transported to the planet below while Thor stayed behind.

A heavy rain was falling on the planet, all around merchants scrambled to pull down awnings and cover their goods. Customers were dodging for cover from the droplets they headed either into what looked like the local tavern or off on their way to wherever they were going. Teal’c gathered information in the marketplace while Ares and Daniel went into the bar.

Inside the crude tavern was dark and dingy. The aroma of stale alcohol, old smoke and old sex hung thick in the air. A long wood bar stood off to the right and to the left, were assorted tables filled with assorted ruffians and worn haggard women schlepped drinks in high-heels and skimpy outfits. A few people were playing games of chance and off in the far corner a few drunks were singing some tune that neither of them knew but it was probably well off-key. Aliens, outcasts from every conceivable race, gathered here to plot, plan, play and re-supply.

“After you.” Lord Ares said and held his hand out before him indicating that Daniel should pass first.

“Thanks.” Looking around more with his ears than his eyes Daniel tried to pick out the beings speaking English or at least a language he understood. The bartender seemed the likely choice. “Hi,” he said nervously as he sidled up to the bar. “We’re, ah, we’re looking for a friend of ours.” Daniel smiled warmly. “I was wondering if you’d seen him.”

“Maybe.” Came the rough reply.

“His name is Kanan and he’s with a man named Omar……”

The bartender snorted at Omar’s name. “That rat bastard, he was here a while back.” Someone at the bar caught his attention; he walked away from Daniel and took an order. After filling a glass with some dark liquid and handing it over the bartender returned. “Son of a bitch still owes me money.” He grumbled. “He was with a big guy, I don’t know who he was but they had a couple of honeys with ‘em.”

“A couple?” Ares asked.

“Yeah, slick little red head but she didn’t look so good. Later they came back with a brunette beauty, she looked real good.” The bartender remarked with a sly smile. “Hey, neither one of you happens to be Daniel, do ya?”

“I’m Daniel. Why?”

The bartender reached under the bar and came back with a closed fist. “This yours?” He opened it and Calla’s wedding ring lay on the bar. “The redhead left it.”

“Did she?” Daniel picked up the familiar gold band and read the inscription; To my beautiful wife with all my love, Daniel. He handed it over to Ares with a glimmer of hope rising in his chest.

“Yep,” another customer another order and then he came back. “She's pretty slick that one.” He remarked with a heavy snort. “I saw her drop it under the table just before they took off outta here.”

Daniel put the ring in his pocket. DePeter said she looked at him as though she knew that either he or the camera were there. “You’re sure she dropped it? I mean, you know, purposefully?”

“Well, either way, it fell off’a her finger.” He looked at them with a quizzical expression. “Well, can I get you gentlemen a drink or are ya just gonna pump me for info?”

“Ah, yeah, whatever.” Daniel said shaking his head.

From behind him Ares let out a low growl. “Here.” He handed over a large coin. “Keep the drinks. Where are they going?”

The bartender thought about it for a moment while he slipped the gold into his pants pocket. “Don’t know but I heard the brunette say something about Heckie or Hickey or something like that…..”

“Hecate?” Ares asked.

“Yeah, that was it.” The bartender snapped his fingers. “Yep, Hec-a-tay.”

Doing all he could to keep his reserve Ares leaned across the bar and looked the bartender directly in the eye. “Where?”

“Heard something about Yo-em-bay.” He said nervously and took a step back from the man with the flaring nostrils and smoking eyes. “Other than that I don’t know nothin’.”

“You’ve been very helpful.” Ares dropped another gold coin on the bar. “Let’s get out of here.” He said to Daniel and started to walk to the door. “One more thing,” he turned around to the bartender. “What kind of ship are they on?”

“Didn’t see it but the brunette said it was a rust-bucket.”

Emerging out into the marketplace once more the rain began to cease and Teal’c came over to greet them. In his own travels he’d found out Kanan and Omar were on a Gesh’Tah ship which Ares seemed pleased about. He said the Gesh’Tah was poor craftsmen and their ships were slow compared to Thor’s. Other people saw the brunette woman in the marketplace but didn’t know her name. Satisfied with the information he’d gathered, Ares sent the signal and they were transported back onboard the ship.

“OK, I’ve had about enough.” Daniel told Ares as they made their way from the transport room to the control room. “I know Hecate, she’s an ancient underworld Goddess. She wants Calla? For what?” Ares wasn’t inclined to pay Daniel any mind at the moment and he just kept walking. “What is Yo-em-bay? Is that where Kanan’s taking her?” His voice began to rise as their pace quickening. “Damn it, Ares! Answer me!” Daniel reached out and was able to get his hand halfway around Ares’ bicep to turn him around. “I want to know what’s going on.”

“Yohimbe, it’s a planet.” He sneered. “In the Dega-bah system, in fact it’s the only inhabitable planet within several systems. It has no Stargate and Hecate has no ships. She was abandoned there centuries ago left to rot and be forgotten.”

“Looks she didn’t rot and she’s tired of being forgotten.”

“So she is. She believes Callestah will give her a new life and that Kanan’s ship will take her away from the planet but it’s not true. No matter what form Hecate takes she can’t leave!”

“Lord Ares?” Thor asked in a voice that was not as level as it usually was. “Something is wrong?”

“No, all is just as I feared.” Ares grumbled. “Kanan’s ship is slow. We will get to Yohimbe ahead of him and lay in wait.”

“Don’t you think we should stop him before he gets there?” Daniel huffed.

“Since I don’t know exactly where he is but I do know where he’s going I believe this is the best option.” Ares sneered. “Of course, if you have a better plan, Jackson, we’re all ears.”

“I can’t come up with a plan if I don’t know the whole story. Who is Hecate really? Who abandoned her on that planet? How does she even know about Calla and what the fuck does she plan to do with my wife?!”

“My Father abandoned her on Yohimbe, a barren planet. She is a sneaky, conniving, wicked, underhanded BITCH who deserves to rot in HELL!”

“Lord Ares,” Thor interjected thoughtfully, “perhaps you should attempt to calm yourself. You will not do Callestah any good this way.”

Ares’ upper lip curled at the little alien. “Don’t you understand? Hecate believes if takes over Callestah she can leave the planet because Callestah is Olympian. Zeus would never strand one of his own with the likes of her. Hecate may be right; maybe she can leave the planet in Callestah’s body….”

A sudden harsh light dawned in the mind of Daniel Jackson. “She’s a fucking Goa’Uld???”

“Yes, Doctor Jackson and a most powerful one at that.” Thor told him. “A Queen.”

“Hecate is going to take over my daughter’s body, she will gain all of Callestah’s knowledge and power.” Ares looked down at Daniel and smiled wickedly. “Zeus didn’t leave her a sarcophagus, I imagine she’s feeling the bite by now. She will use Callestah to heal her, as Kanan obviously did and then she will discard her like a piece of trash.” Ares railed.

“Why? Why get rid of her?” Teal’c asked.

“Because Callestah’s body won’t please Hecate.” Ares said with a smirk. “She is too small, too thin, her breasts too puny.” The smile disappeared from his face. “Hecate has always chosen female hosts that are dark haired and eyed, ones you would consider to be…. voluptuous. Red hair, white skin, green eyes, no that will not do.”

Another light dawned on the good doctor but thankfully this one wasn’t as blinding. “The brunette, she’s a second host. A permanent one.” And it’s Rowan. Was the thought which flitted through his mind but he couldn’t bring himself to give it voice. Nicky was adamant that Rowan had been the woman in Calla’s dreams and he had no reason to doubt his son. She had something to do with this of that Daniel had no doubts.

“Aren’t you the intelligent one?” Ares asked and looked across the room at the large view screen and the planets and stars flying by. “She has to be sure that Callestah’s body will allow her to leave the planet,” he turned to look at Daniel. “God help everyone if that happens. The first place she’ll head is Earth where you new Xeranium stores will be making my kind weaker and yours all the more vulnerable to her attack.”

Ares comment brought him around to a query he’d wanted to ask months ago but thought better of. “This Xeranium, it makes you weak, powerless and the Mohun planet is full of it but Calla said she felt the same way on Tiberia sometimes…..”

“Hum, yes,” Ares eyes narrowed on Daniel, “solar flares, I bet Kanan loved those nights.” He sighed. “The Tiberian sun tosses Xeranium into the planets’ atmosphere from time to time and it had the same effect on Callestah as it did on the planet.” Ares explained.

More questions he’s always wanted to ask and never did. “How many?” Daniel asked.

“How many what?”

“How many of your kind are there back on Earth?”

Ares tossed his head back and let out a small laugh. “Not just the Olympians, Jackson. ALL of us who are native to Earth will be affected. Those that remain from Maeve’s lines, those that remain from Shiva’s lines, those that remain from Ka’s lines, and Wotan’s. A few more I suppose.” The tone of his voice was mournful but the look on the good doctor’s face was priceless. “All in all, Jackson, somewhere near three thousand of us remain.”

“Are living on planet Earth?”

“Among you every day, yes some of us are.” He whispered. “Others hide in the shadows and in far away places. They’re frightened of you Mortals but there are still there. Each with their own unique powers and knowledge.”

“We had allies right under our noses.” Astonished he turned to look at Teal’c who shrugged his shoulders in return.

“Hasn’t my daughter yet chastised you for chasing after the stars?” Ares asked. “Humans always too busy trying to do something else, to be somewhere else, and to be someone else; they never see their world for what it is because they’re too busy trying to make it into something it’s not.”

A question Daniel asked earlier still remained unanswered. If Hecate had been stranded on Yohimbe for centuries; “How does she even know Calla exists?”

“I don’t know.” Ares told him. “But you can bet your buddy Omar had a hand in that as well. If I had to guess it went something like this; Omar told Hecate about Callestah and then went to retrieve her from Kanan. Omar found Kanan in rather bad condition,” Ares said thoughtfully, “A common goal or a common vendetta can bind people together. Kanan and Omar made a pact and went searching for Callestah. Kanan would be made whole again, he’d get his time to play with her—as I’m sure Omar is doing as well—then they would hand her over and collect their pay. A pay which I’m sure is considerable.” Ares looked down at the little gray alien at the controls. “Sound about right to you?”

“I’m sorry to say but yes it does.” Thor agreed. “We must stop her from leaving the planet.”

“And so,” Ares turned his eyes back to Daniel. “We will beat them there and we will wait for them. Now that you have been ‘filled in’, do you have a better plan, Jackson?”

“No.” Getting Calla back was still his primary concern and he was certain it was Ares’ concern as well. The situation did just get vastly larger. If Hecate had such a huge axe to grind and was as powerful as Thor and Ares said she was, then no, she couldn’t be allowed to leave Yohimbe.

End of Chapter One
Daughter of the Gods: Escape
Continue to
Chapter Two