MEMOIRS OF
BRIGADIER GENERAL JACK O’NEILL
(Retired)
Part VIII
Chapter One
By Arrietty
2007
At least I knew there was no chance of being splatted on the other side of this gate as I was going to a well known trading planet. It was amazing; people filled the city streets as they went about their different ways. I received a few bored glances before they continued shopping. I had walked slap bang into the middle of market day. It was hot, and even after all these years, you would have thought I’d gotten used to the lack of deodorant, but these guys took the cake. Hot weather, combined with dust, and lots of people didn’t help to reduce the stink. I walked out through the safety barrier and joined the throng. As I suspected, the barrier was to stop anyone from accidentally being disintegrated by the vortex as it opened.
Only a few seconds after I pushed my way through a group of traders, I could hear the familiar grinding of the Stargate as a fellow traveler dialed this address. I was silently relieved that I hadn’t tarried within the barrier any longer.
I removed my leather coat, my jacket, my sweatshirt, but stopped there, as I was receiving curious glances. I needn’t have worried because when I turned the next corner I could see up on a high dais, a small group of men and women scantily clad, in chains. It didn’t look like they only traded in horses here. I’d better watch out.
I moved through to the livestock area, not hard to find because I could hear the animals creating a din. I walked over to the area where they had horses to inquire about Neeron.
“Excuse me, but do you know who Neeron is?”
“Then se katalaveno. Ti less?”
Thank goodness he was speaking in a language I sort of understood because he didn’t seem to understand me.
“O Neeron, o ippopoolittiss, poo inne?” I repeated my question in Greek.
He waved his hands and arms around and shook his head and pointed out of the city. Maybe I didn’t understand Greek as well as I thought, so I tried again.
“Pes moo, poo inne o Neeron?”
“Then inne etho. Epiye pisso sto spitti.”
I mentally groaned and wondered when the thaw was going to happen, as it seemed like mid-summer at the moment. There was no way I could wait that long for him to arrive here at the markets.
I proceeded to try and find out where he was and how to get there. The news was not good. Four or more weeks travel to get to his estate. ‘Oh Joy.’
After haggling in the market for supplies, I found out that I needed some papers to say who I was and that I was from another planet. It didn’t take long to find the correct office to, once again, purchase, a piece of paper to prove who I was and yet another to let me back through the Stargate. Finally, after what seemed several wasted hours, I started my trek.
The scenery was pleasant to look at, rolling hills, with long grass waving in the breeze dried to a golden colour by the sun. There were many streams that flowed in and out of the hills. On the third day I decided to follow one into the hills.
It was a stream that bubbled over pebbles and rocks as it meandered through the green pastures. I sat down on a small hillock and pulled out the last of my bread. Kept any longer it would start growing penicillin. Too late, I saw a few white patches on part of the crust. At least I could cut those bits out and eat the rest. If I had lit a fire, I would have toasted the bread and not even bothered to cut them out. After a while when traveling, you tend to not mind what you ate. You just ate what you had when you had it and were thankful. A few birds hopped down and picked up the few small crumbs that I had removed from the stale bread. It was weird that sometimes, on some planets sparrows lived. The good old London sparrow, way out here - thousands of light years away.
It was hot, so I dragged off my coat again, rolled it up and used it as a pillow. The P-90 and the zat caused a crick in my neck but, at least my handgun didn’t as I’d removed that first and slid it under the small of my back. I pulled my cap over my eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep to the sound of birds singing and the brook dancing its way over the rocks.
I woke with a start; I could hear horse’s hooves and the jangle of bits and bridles. Cautiously, I rolled over onto my hands and knees and slowly peered around a large rock. I had only been asleep for about an hour I noticed as I glanced at my watch. I couldn’t see them, but I could hear voices. I pushed my coat and my pack under the large rock into a small crevice. I stood up, tucking my handgun in the back of the waistband of my pants and pulled my short jacket over to cover it. Moving swiftly, I ducked around the large boulders and quietly clambered to the top of one, so I could check out the travelers. Fifteen men were setting up camp; they were swarthy and rough shaven, nothing like the men of the city I had left three days ago. Their horses were tethered nearby, and I watched while two of the men tended the horses. Something was not right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. The answer to my puzzle came two seconds later when I felt cold metal against my throat.
“Yirrisse yirro, siya siya.”
“Turning, slowly,” I repeated. I turned around to face my captor; it was one of two men who looked like they were part of the band that I’d been watching below me. Then I realized what was wrong. There had been seventeen horses, but only fifteen men. These were two extra men, guards that I hadn’t accounted for. What on Earth had I been thinking?
“Stand up,” he ordered, jabbing his long spear at my midriff.
He spoke in the universal language.
“I was just being nosey, no harm intended.” I gave my innocent bystander smile, but it didn’t work. He lifted the spear shaft and whacked me across the head with it.
~*~
I woke up, found I was hogtied, gagged and had a pounding headache – not necessarily in that order. And, to make matters worse, I was downwind from the very smoky fire that they’d built. Trying to cough with a gag stuffed in your mouth isn’t very easy, and to add my misery, my eyes began to tear up. Of course, as anyone knows, if your eyes start to water, your nose follows suit. I hoped my nose wouldn’t clog up before I tried to spit the gag from my mouth, but all I managed to do was draw their attention.
Loud, drunken laughter filled the small space as they pointed at me wriggling around. They began to walk towards me. I wondered if asphyxiation would have been better than what they had in mind. I stopped moving and watched them through blinking eyes. One of them grabbed me by my hair and yanked back my head, then laughed in my face. ‘Yes, asphyxiation by smoke is heaps better than his breath.’ I tried to pull away, but that didn’t work. He reached down and untied my feet and hands; I quickly pulled out the gag and started coughing, then swiped my tear-streaked face with my sleeve. They thought I was scared and crying. It was about time they found out that it wasn’t the case.
From my bent over position, I brought back my right hand, bunching it into a fist, and put all my power into the punch. Taking him by surprise, he went down with a hard thump. I felt arms grab me from behind and pull me into a chokehold. Bringing down an elbow I dug it into his solar plexus, spun around and kicked out at the next man that came at me. As soon as I knocked them down, they seemed to bounce right back up and come at me again. I slipped my hand around to the small of my back. It was gone.
“Are you looking for this?” A small boned man walked up to me and dangled my handgun in front of my face. He was obviously the leader. The brigands stood still and waited to see what he would do next. “He’s all yours.” He waved his hand idly in my direction and wandered away checking out my lost weapon.
I could feel them closing in on me, “You guys had a bad day?” I asked, not sure whether to bait them or just take it quietly. I’d managed to take out three of them before they knocked me to the ground. I have to admit fighting thirteen, thankfully not all seventeen, men is not easy. The number wouldn’t have made any difference I was bound to lose.
~*~
Every muscle, bone, sinew, hair and cell hurt. In fact, the whole of me throbbed in time to the pounding that bounced in my head. I tried to open my eyes, but only one would co-operate and even that one was struggling. They had tied my wrists together, I have no idea why, as one was swollen and I couldn’t move it anyway. I just hoped it wasn’t broken. I tried to move my feet, but they were tied too. I glanced down and could see they were fastened to a large stake in the ground near where the horses were tethered. The firelight flickered over the strewn bodies that lay haphazardly around the dying fire. They had drunk themselves into a stupor. I wasn’t sure how many were there as my vision was a little hazy. I shifted to try and get more comfortable, but all I did was let out an involuntary groan and stay right where I was.
I heard footfalls as someone approached.
“This is an interesting weapon; I don’t think I have seen anything like this before. Where did you get it?”
It was the head honcho. He had squatted down beside my head, turning my handgun over and over in his hands.
My answer was a groan.
He put the gun to use and clipped me around the ear. “Argh.”
“I asked a question, I expect an answer.”
“Don’t know, traded it,” I rasped out through my swollen lips. I felt fresh blood dribble down my chin as the movement reopened my split lip.
“Where are the rest of the metal balls that come out the end?” he asked.
“In it.” I coughed as my raw throat protested with its use.
“Not anymore. It is a good weapon, but useless without them.” He threw it down not far from me then started to walk away. He stopped, turned around and stood over me. “You gave my boys a good work out. They needed something because they didn’t do well in the raid today. So this time I am going to let you go.” He squatted down beside me again. “But if I come across you again, don’t expect to live,” he hissed in my ear. He straightened and I didn’t even see it coming. He booted me in me in my stomach I curled into a ball instinctively to protect myself from more harm, but that seemed to be all he needed to do because I heard his footfalls fading as he walked away.
~*~
2008
I was lying on something soft, but there was something very heavy on me and when I moved everything hurt.
“Hush… Min koonithiss. Pyess tora.”
I felt a cup placed against my mouth and I started to gulp the precious cool water down, but before I had nearly enough it was taken away from me. I let out a small uncontrolled cry at the absence of the liquid.
“Teliosse.”
~*~
I woke with a start and found myself sitting bolt upright in bed. Pain shot through my shoulder and wrist and my head increased its thumping. I reached up with my good hand and felt my head, and found bandages were wrapped around it and over my left eye. I looked around the room, it was dark and small and I was on a low flat bed. I pulled myself up against the wall behind me and leaned back. It was at that stage I realized I wasn’t wearing anything, so I dragged the top cover to my chest. Beside me on the floor were a pitcher and a tin cup. Carefully I reached over and picked the cup up and took a sip. It didn’t taste very nice, but then I had learned by now that most things that tasted horrible off world were usually good for you, especially if you were injured or sick. The thumping in my head began to abate as I sipped the liquid. I had already checked for my watch, but it wasn’t on my wrist. I thought about getting up, but, then again, without clothes there was no question, I would be staying.
“Herretismata.” A small, wizened old woman hobbled into my room. In her arms were my clothes, ‘bless her.’ And a few of my things were balanced on top of them. She carefully placed them down on the floor beside the pitcher. Leaning forwards, she peered into my cup, tutted and removed it from me.
“Hey,” I protested, I was feeling no pain and abnormally happy.
She shook her head at me and frowned. Taking the pitcher and cup with her she bustled from the room. I was very sorry to see the cup and its contents go, but pleased to see her go. I snatched up my watch from the top of my clothes. Thankfully, it was still in one piece and didn’t seem as though anyone had fiddled with it.
According to my watch, I had been asleep, unconscious or whatever for only twenty-four hours. This puzzled me, as I knew I had been injured far worse than I felt. The swelling had gone down on my left wrist, though it still was painful to move. Bruises had faded on my torso as well as my arms and legs. Maybe someone had fiddled with my watch after all. I got dressed, feeling so dizzy at times that I had to stop and sit down for a while. I also noticed the pounding in my head had returned and I needed more of whatever had been in that tin cup. I stuck my watch in my pocket and opened the door. The ache in my shoulder had returned, so I supported my arm with my other hand while I looked around the interior of a small inn.
Just then a large bumbling man trotted into the room carrying a large tray covered with bowls, tankards and utensils. He noticed me straight away and stopped walking to put the tray down on one of the tables.
“Vleppo pos ehis zipnissi tora.”
“A little stiff,” I replied in English.
He smiled. “Ah you speak the universal language.” This will make it easier.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“A small village called ‘Leocold’ and my name is Leocold.” He held out his arm to clasp my forearm. I was thankful that it was my undamaged right arm that he grasped tightly. “Yeah, yeah,” he continued good naturedly, “I know, named after a town.” He rolled his eyes and walked away still grinning.
“My name is Jack O’Neill,” I called after him. “What happened, how come I’m here and what’s with this?” I pointed down at my quickly healed injuries.
“My mother will explain all,” he chirped while he placed large tankards on their hooks.
As he was obviously busy, I took the time to look around the room. It was dingy and dark, even though it was broad daylight outside. The dark brown wooden paneled walls and beams most probably didn’t help nor the small windows. Large beaten copper platters adorned the walls, some depicting scenes of cottages and hills, but most were of battle scenes.
Soon the little wizened old woman came into the room clutching the ears of two youths. She was haranguing them with her tongue in a dialect of Greek that I didn’t understand. She seated them opposite me and spoke harshly to them both, giving them a slap upside their heads to make her point. Leocold was chuckling in the background. As the two young teenagers pulled out objects from their pockets I understood the old woman’s anger. Leocold’s chuckling stopped at about the same time my heart went cold when the elder of the two boys placed my handgun on the table. Leocold walked up to stand behind the two miscreants and folded his arms across his chest. Accompanying my handgun were my dog tags, compass and a few universal coins that had been in my pockets. How the bandits had missed those I didn’t know, but these two youths had found them.
I could see that they were in deep trouble and hopefully had learned their lesson. Instead of causing them more trouble, I decided to give them a break. After all, they’d saved my life.
“Thank you for keeping them safe for me,” I said. Their shoulders relax.
One of the boys, the older one, replied. “We found you tied up in the hills and brought you back here.”
“Then I am in your debt,” I replied.
They quickly looked at the old woman and glanced at Leocold. “Father?” they asked. He nodded and they shot out the room like two scared rabbits.
The pounding in my head came back in full force. I spotted the same tin cup that had been in my room earlier. The deep purple flower painted on the side making it distinctive. I reached over to retrieve it hoping that there would be more of that medicine to kill the pain. A sharp sting shot across my knuckles as a switch was swiped across them. “Ow!” I exclaimed, pulling my hand back.
The wielder of the switch quickly retrieved the cup all the time glaring at me. She watched me carefully as she took it up to the counter and locked it into a small cupboard.
“Leocold?” she called her son over to sit opposite me. I was confused and the pain in my head had increased its intensity.
She prattled in her dialect which I couldn’t follow. I watched perturbed as Leocold’s face turned from jovial to extremely grave. My nervousness increased as he kept glancing at me and frowning. Then she stopped talking and looked at her hands while Leocold explained what was happening to me.
“Jack O’Neill, my mother and I have done you a great disservice and we apologize for what is to become.”
Now I was definitely worried. “What do you mean?” I watched warily for the answer.
“You must listen and not interrupt as we do not have much time. Earlier in your room, mother left the juice of the lewberries and you drank it all. You shouldn’t have.” He held up his hand to stop my protests of un-culpability. “It wasn’t your fault, you were not to know. It is a very addictive strong medicine, used only for external injuries. Just sometimes for head injuries or things that are damaged inside, “he pointed to my abdomen, “where a very few sips are administered. If we don’t purge your body of this poison now, you will never rid yourself of its pull. Then you will eventually become mad like those bandits that attacked you.”
My blood ran cold. The words, addictive and mad didn’t go down well and purging didn’t exactly fill me with any joy either.
“Mother, looks after the local addicts, every so often they wish to be rid of this curse and come for help, but, sadly, they go back to their old ways.” I blinked my eye to clear its fuzzy vision. “Come. It is starting already, I can see.”
He led me down a long corridor and then down some cold stone steps. During this journey all I wanted to do was race back up the stairs, smash open the little cupboard and retrieve that tin cup. It had already started to take hold of me. It took all my willpower to resist the urge knowing that it would only be a temporary relief to my pain and craving.
My questions about my healed injuries and my patched up eye would have to wait. He led me into a spacious room. All the walls were coated with springy dull green matting and over in the corner was a hole. By the odor I assumed it was the latrine.
I was asked politely, to remove boots, socks, jacket, shirt, my watch, and my newly returned dog tags. When it came to my pants, I resisted, the politeness disappeared, but I still won. I got the impression that if the old woman was any taller my ears would’ve been soundly boxed.
They pushed me down to sit on the floor, while she bound up my torso, collecting my damaged wrist in the process. She crossed it over my chest so I couldn’t move it, and then rechecked my eye bandage to make sure it was secure. I wanted to ask why, but I was beginning to feel sleepy and couldn’t be bothered to ask what was happening.
Leocold crouched down beside me. “Jack O’Neill, whatever happens remember, I will not be far away. When you are lucid, which will come, use the facilities, don’t wait.” He pointed to the hole in the ground. “I’m sorry, Jack O’Neill.”
“How long?” I managed to ask in a raspy tired voice.
I couldn’t see his expression, but by his body language I could tell he was in a quandary. “Long enough, Jack O’Neill, long enough,” he repeated. Then he shut the door.
It was quiet as I stood up and walked over to the closed door. I couldn’t find a handle and if I hadn’t just seen him go through I would have thought it was just a wall. Skylights were set up high into the top of the walls that let in the daylight. Remembering what Leocold had said, I investigated the latrine. When I had finished I walked back to one of the walls and leaned back and closed my one eye.
~*~
arrietty39@yahoo.co.nz
© Arrietty 2005
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