MEMOIRS OF
BRIGADIER GENERAL JACK O’NEILL
(Retired)
Part III
Chapter One
By Arrietty
2005
Now I knew I was not dead. How? Well, because of the pain that permeated my whole being. Wherever I was, it was warm and it actually smelled nice. No sulphur pools or putrid giant tribbles, just the nice aroma of baking bread wafting in over me.
Slowly I opened one eye, the other one once again wouldn’t co-operate. The room was a pale cream colour and sparsely decorated. The ceiling was high and colourless in the dim light. Cautiously I turned my head, feeling no shooting pain anywhere, so I continued turning it. I was in a small room; a wooden chair and a small table were just by my bed. Looking down at the foot of the bed, I noticed my leg was strapped up, hanging in traction. ‘Someone seemed to know what they were doing then.’ My mouth was dry and felt like the Sahara desert. I tried to sit up, but one; my leg wouldn’t let me and two; sharp multiple stabs of pain shot through my chest. I didn’t even get to three as I sank back onto the pillows in a cold sweat. I could taste the bile as great waves of nausea assaulted my innards. The last thing broken ribs needed was to be jostled around by someone puking all over the place.
“Yia soo, ehis zipnissi.”
“Huh?” I lifted my head off the pillow and watched as a middle aged woman walked gracefully into the room. She was holding a tray which had steam rising from the middle of it.
“Hello, my name is Jack. Where am I?”
She gave a small smile and spoke very slowly, as though to a child.
“Faye.” She placed the tray on the small table and sat down beside me. Smiling again, she repeated the strange word, “Faye.” Holding a bowl of steaming broth under my chin, she started to spoon feed me.
Very gently, I moved her arm away with my one good hand. “Erm…thanks, but no thanks. I can feed myself,” I protested. I tried to sit up; once again the waves of nausea assaulted me as the pain shot through my chest.
She patiently waited and then spoke again. “Faye.” This time I let her. I knew I needed some kind of food in me and I was in no position to fight it.
When I had finished, she sat quietly as I fought the strong waves of nausea. I heard a rustle of clothing, and then I started to heave. She was right there with a bowl to catch everything. The pain was excruciating as the spasms wracked my battered body. The room rocked and spun dangerously and the heaving was the only thing stopping me from passing out. Finally the vomiting stopped, and I sank back exhausted on the bed. The woman quietly left the room.
{The ground was unstable; it rocked and bucked under my feet as I ran full tilt towards her. Behind me, three large fluffy green balls were rolling down a hill after me, emitting a high pitched squealing noise. I ran faster, jumping across large boiling puddles and small streams. Sweat was soaking my clothes, making them stick to my skin, restricting my movement.
I found myself standing on a solid rock in the middle of a large pool of boiling mud. Out of reach, Sam was clinging to a protruding rock. She was slowly losing her grip and was slipping towards the boiling mass. I screamed out her name, “Sam.”}
“Sam! Hang on a bit longer, hang on.” Strong hands restrained me and pushed me back onto the bed.
“Shhh...” I didn’t understand, nor do I remember, the words that followed.
Opening my eyes I stared up into the face of the woman that had been there before. With her was a young man who was holding me down. He smiled and slowly stood up releasing me from the painful pressure.
Nodding my thanks, I lay still, waiting for the dream to fade from my memory. The two people were still standing watching me, so I made a start. “I’m Jack.” I pointed to my chest.
They both frowned and muttered to each other. Then they both nodded and turned back to me.
The woman pointed to herself and said, “Mariam.” She looked at me to see that I understood and then pointed to the young man, “Eimon.”
I nodded as I pointed to myself again. “Jack.”
Well, we had got that sorted out. At least I knew what their names were. From then on it was pretty much all up hill. I certainly could have done with Jacob and his healing device, but he wasn’t here, so I had to make do with the old fashioned way.
At first I enjoyed the fuss and security of this home. Mariam and her son, Eimon, were kind and considerate. Although they had many servants, they still took care of me personally. It wasn’t until the third day that I met Mariam’s suitor. He was the local medical doctor, which explained where all the medical knowledge had come from. He was a tall grey haired man, most probably in his mid sixties, with a kind and gentle face. He checked over my injuries and re-adjusted the traction for my leg.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier, but I was called away on an emergency.”
“You speak English,” I said, shocked and relieved at the same time.
“I haven’t heard that word before. We call it the ‘universal tongue’. There is a wide community of planets that speak a variety of tongues, but this one and our native tongue are the most used.”
“Greek?” I asked.
He stopped what he was doing and frowned, “I don’t think I have heard that word either.”
“Hi, my name is Jack.” I held out my right hand to shake his. He immediately grasped my elbow, so my hand automatically clasped his.
“I am called Alexander and this is our universal greeting also,” he informed me before letting go of my arm.
“I’ve come across it before.”
He continued to check out my injuries.
“So, Alexander, what’s wrong?” I asked as I waved an arm over my body.
“You have a spasmenno leg here,” He pointed to my thigh. “Several cracked and two broken ribs and klonismos here,” He pointed to my head.
‘And that tells me what?’ Now being none the wiser, I shifted slightly in the bed, not able to make myself comfortable. “How long will I be stuck here?” I grumbled.
He looked at me sharply, then smiled quietly, “Several minness,” he answered quietly.
“Minness?” I queried this as I did need an answer.
.
“Minna is one cycle of the moon,” He answered.
“Ah, thank you,” then groaned as I’m sure he had said ‘several’.
“Jack, you must do as Mariam tells you, or you will not heal quickly.”
Uh oh, this man had been going to the same school as Doc Fraiser.
I nodded quickly. “I have nothing to pay you with, but-“
He stopped me. “Not necessary I expect one day you will repay us, not in gold, but with some deed.”
Just then, Mariam walked into the room. She leaned close to Alexander and spoke quickly in his ear. He turned to me, “Don’t concern yourself about it, I will see you again.” He glanced at Mariam, “tomorrow.” With that said, they both left the room together, talking away in their language, which sounded suspiciously like Greek to me.
Shifting uncomfortably on the bed again, mainly to let blood flow back into a certain numb place, I looked around the small room. ‘Yup, this room is going to get old very soon.’
Between dozing and not trying to think too hard about things, the day slowly passed with the tedium only interrupted by a tray of food brought in by Mariam who didn’t seem to understand a word of what I spoke and of whom I didn’t understand much either.
After the evening meal, Eimon walked in carrying a board under his arm and a wooden box in his hand. Snagging the chair over with his foot, he sat down and placed the opened board on the bed beside where I lay.
“Jack, play game?”
I smiled. Not only did Eimon know a little universal tongue, but he was unpacking what looked like Backgammon. Life suddenly started having an upside.
~*~
Six weeks later, I was hobbling around my room, tidying up a few things when I heard laughter and joyful cries coming from another part of the house. Grabbing my crutches, I hopped out into the main hallway and hesitated. I still got lost in this mansion, its large stone walls and many rooms seemed like a maze to me. Following the sound, I finally found myself in the large comfortable kitchen.
This house was unusual in regards to servants and normal protocol. I watched while I leaned against the wall near some large urns in which they stored the wine, as Eimon and a young girl were being hugged by the cook and maids, and the male servants were busily slapping him on the back. Something was up.
I noticed Mariam standing to one side smiling at the exuberance of her staff. Fortunately for me, Alexander arrived and filled me in on what had happened. Eimon and Lisle were to be betrothed and the great wedding would be in three months time.
Apparently it wasn’t just love that was being celebrated, but two large shipping companies would finally merge. Something I had found out in the last six weeks was that Mariam and her son were extremely wealthy. Mariam not only owned many factories that spun and wove silk, but also her late husband had owned one of the largest shipping companies in Ellatha. It had been left to Eimon, for when he came of age and was married. This would be good for trade as Lisle was the only child of the man that owned the other shipping company. Eventually both companies would be owned and operated by this young couple being heartily congratulated by the boot boy. I use the words ‘boot boy’ loosely as he was most probably ten years older than me.
Hobbling forward, I joined in the congratulations and couldn’t help myself as I turned to the cook, “Will there be cake?”
She smiled. “For you, Jack. Yes,” she said and laughed heartily.
Although I had congratulated Eimon’s new bride to be, I hadn’t been formally introduced. For this, Mariam came forward and introduced me.
“I have heard much of you, Jack.” Lisle smiled shyly.
I grinned at Eimon and, leaving him to the festivities, I hopped out the kitchen after Alexander; I had some more questions that needed answering.
I caught up with him just as he was leaving through the front door.
“Alexander. Do you have a minute?” He stopped and turned around. He looked sad, then the sadness lifted and he walked towards me.
“Of course, Jack. Come, we will talk in here.” He led me into a small sitting room. Light filtered through the open windows and large couches were placed strategically in the centre of the room. I carefully sat down. My ribs, though healed, still ached sometimes and my leg was taking longer than expected.
“That planet I was thrown off, do you know anything about it?”
He looked thoughtful before starting to speak, “The planet that you were on is a no go area.”
‘Ya think?’
The humans that live on that planet do not want to be part of the planet community and they didn’t like anyone interfering with their property.”
“What, those little grey pests were their property? Good luck to them. And anyway, I wasn’t interfering with their property. It was more the other way around.”
He shrugged his shoulders before continuing, “We have given up trying to understand their way of thinking. You are lucky that you came through alive! Any young men that have tried to go there have come back dead.”
I risked another question, something a little more personal. “You and Mariam, there is something?” I waved a hand in the air to emphasis my point, and to take away my embarrassment about asking such a pointed question. The sadness came back on Alexander’s face. “Sorry, I shouldn’t pry,” I said, trying to dismiss the question.
“No, it is all right, Jack. Until Eimon is married, Mariam is not free to marry, or she will lose the shipping company to a distant cousin.”
I was confused; I frowned and shook my head slightly.
He continued to explain, “It was part of her late husband’s will, to protect her really, to stop greedy men trying to steal Eimon’s inheritance. He died when Eimon was only two years old, I was there when he died; he was a good man and loved Mariam very much.” He stopped in thought for a while before continuing. “He was afraid that she would be treated badly by someone, so it was written into the documents that if Mariam married someone else before Eimon was to come of age the shipping company would be left to a cousin that lived on a distant planet. Eimon would lose everything. Eimon’s father knew that Mariam would never jeopardize her son’s future. And we have just found out there is a loophole in the wording of the will. So…” he shrugged, “we have to wait and now I’m not sure that it will happen.”
“Why?”
“The cousin has first rights to Mariam and he has heard about the will and that Eimon is now to be married. I am old and not a warrior, how can I fight this man for Mariam.” He let out a small sigh.
“This cousin, who is he and what can you tell me about him?”
“Not much, but he is an oplopios. You know someone who makes weapons for the warriors.”
“Crap.”
He looked up startled, “I don’t know what that means, but I can guess.” He gave me a wry grin. “The biggest problem is that he is twenty years younger than me; there is no way I could win in a fight. And because of this stupid document, Mariam has to marry him and he will get the shipping company until Eimon comes of age or marries. To be honest I can’t quite work out what this cousin has to gain out of this, but marrying Mariam – unless he will sell the company in between the weddings.” He groaned and threw up his hands in the air. “All I know is that we have had lawyers look at the document and they can see no way out of it, unless I fight him for her.”
A small germ of an idea started to take seed in the back of my brain as I closed the door after Alexander had left. I owed these people not only my life, but my well being too. I had healed slowly and cleanly, my leg was straight, not bent or permanently damaged. My ribs, though still sore, had healed well and my spirit was calm. Although I still dreamed, the terrifying nightmares had ceased. Sam still filled my dreams, but they weren’t so bad that it left me in a cold sweat. I started to get myself back into shape. There would be pain and hard work, but I had never been afraid of either.
~*~
Two months had gone by and Eimon’s wedding was getting closer. By now, all the townspeople knew who I was, ‘the mad man that ran through the streets twice a day.’ I had changed my hard leather boots for the more soft supple ones that were made by the young apprentice cobbler. They didn’t cost me anything because he was pleased for me to tell everyone who asked that Maroc the cobbler had made them for me. I received some strange looks from Mariam and Eimon, but I didn’t tell them what I had in mind. I never saw much of Alexander - only if someone in the home was ill, would he then call. Through all the excitement of the preparations for the wedding, a sadness permeated Mariam as she went about her duties.
Not once did they ask me to leave. I was perfectly well and healthy enough to go, but I stayed. I hoped they thought it was because I was staying for the wedding, but they didn’t know the real reason.
Four days before the wedding, I heard a crash in the hallway. I had just come in from my run and was on my way to the baths. Even though it was early in the morning, it was already extremely hot out there. I padded out to the hallway in my bare feet and stopped as a small urn lay smashed on the floor. Standing in the middle of the mess was Mariam, with a large piece of parchment in her hand and red drops of blood dripping onto the floor from a cut on her hand.
“Mariam?” I asked, I wanted to help, but I couldn’t move. I was stuck because of the broken pottery.
She looked up at me, her eyes stricken. “He is coming.”
“Who?”
“My late husband’s cousin. He is coming to take what is his to claim.” Her bottom lip had started to tremble.
“Come here; you are hurt.” I reached out my hand to her. She carefully walked between the broken shards and took my hand. I pulled her into an embrace, handed her a handkerchief for her cut hand and looked at the parchment. It was not written in my ‘universal tongue’. It hadn’t taken Mariam and Eimon long to learn English after my arrival, which made life a lot easier for me, even though I could now speak and understand Greek quite well if I had to.
“He wants the shipping company or I have to marry him. At least married to him, I could keep Eimon involved.” She sat down on one of the hall benches. I sat down beside her.
“You won’t have to give in to him. Eimon will be married in four days, and then he will not be able to touch it.”
“Jack you don’t understand. He will-“ Tears had started to fill her eyes, threatening to spill over.
I pulled her close again and held her tight. “I do understand, Mariam, and you will not lose the shipping company, or have to marry him I promise.”
~*~
As I watched her movements over the next four days, I realized that she hadn’t understood what I was saying. I was in a quandary, should I tell them what I was going to do or not? It was the day before the wedding that I made the decision not to tell. I had just come in from speaking with the local sword smith. He was a large man who had taught me the art of sword fighting and my muscles ached from the extra hard workout. The sword was different to what I had seen before, it was short and wide, almost like a very long knife. I needed to know any secrets that these people knew regarding the art of sword fighting.
Alexander was arguing with Mariam in the hallway. All the servants had gone up the other end of the house to give them some privacy. But no, not Jack O’Neill. He barged in there and made a nuisance of himself.
“Is everything all right?”
They stopped and stared at me. Alexander was angry. “Jack, this is none of your business, go away.” I stood my ground. Mariam had been crying.
“Mariam, are you okay?”
She nodded, “Please, Jack. Leave us.”
I didn’t move, I watched mesmerized as she spoke to Alexander, “I will marry him, I have no choice.”
“You can’t do this. Come away with me.”
“Then he will take Eimon’s future, at least this way he has a chance.” She shook her head.
“I don’t care what you say, Mariam, you will not marry him!” Alexander yelled at her, before he wrenched open the solid wooden door at the end of the hallway and slammed it shut behind him.
I turned and walked down to my room. I quickly gathered some writing tools and parchment; I just hoped that I could make myself understood.
~*~
The following morning it was as though nothing had happened. Mariam was singing around the house, with garlands in her hair and decorating her clothes. A new suit had been put out for me to wear, if you could call a short dress, though they called them tunics, a suit. I chose to wear my BDU’s which were neatly pressed and you could barely see where Mariam had sewn up the tears and holes. I carefully laced up my boots that I had brushed to a brilliant shine.
Mariam frowned at my attire, but I think she had enough to worry about without trying to get me to put something on that I would never wear.
As the party approached the great hall where the ceremony and celebrations were to be held, a large man - and I mean large - wearing the short kilt similar to what Mariam had tried to get me to wear, walked up to Mariam.
“Mariam, wife of the late Eimon?” he asked.
She nodded, “I am she.” I saw her square her shoulders.
Eimon spun around on the spot, he was frowning. They had kept this from him.
I slowly began to work my way towards Mariam.
The large man stood still, then drew in a deep breath, “Who dares to challenge me, Thomas, to the right of marrying this woman?” he bellowed.
I felt the usual tingle in the palms of my hands before battle so I clenched them tightly. This sword smith was big, way bigger than I had imagined.
“I do.”
A strong voice came from amongst the crowd. I watched in surprise as Alexander, kitted out in kilt and sword strode confidently up to Thomas. “I, Alexander, will fight you for this woman.”
He looked down at Alexander and leaned back and roared with laughter. “You are not who challenged me.” He strode forward and pushed Alexander over, so he fell into a dusty heap on the ground.
It was time to make my appearance.
“What about me, knuckle head?”
I heard a gasp, then my name. “Jack!”
I saw Mariam slowly shake her head as Eimon pulled her out of the way, “What’s going on, Mama?”
Thomas quickly dropped to a crouch and started to circle me. I had been tempted to just take my P-90 and drop him where he stood, but somehow I didn’t think that would go down very well and I might be killed for breaking some rules. So I too dropped to a crouch and followed his movements. The short sharp sword felt comforting strapped to my back under my jacket. All I had to do was reach up and pull it from its sheath.
Although Thomas was a big man, he was light on his feet. The area that had cleared was dry sand, of this I was thankful as the cobblestones would have been hard to fall on. Little swirls of dust were left behind as he moved quickly behind me. I heard the scrape of metal against metal as he removed his sword from its sheath. I twisted around to face him, only just managing to dodge his lunging sword that was aimed at my stomach. I tried to shut out the sound of the crowd murmuring at the near miss.
I reached up behind me and drew out my sword from the soft leather sheath that was hidden under my jacket. I had chosen leather as I didn’t want to be hindered by a metal scabbard which could restrict my movements. It didn’t seem to bother Thomas; I could see his strapped to his back as he twisted out the way of my attempt at swiping my sword across his chest. At each lunge and parry we managed to avoid injury. The heat of the day had increased and I was pleased to see he was beginning to sweat and pant slightly. Although I too was sweating, my energy was not waning.
The clang of the swords echoed around the square as our blades crashed together. Silently thankful to my smithy friend for a well made sword as the cross bar protected my hand from my adversary’s blade as it slid up to the handle. This was when I was at a disadvantage as Thomas’ extra weight pushed me back. I lost my footing and crashed onto the ground. Great billows of dust puffed up around me obscuring my vision for mere seconds, only settling in time to see his great sword coming towards me.
~*~
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