A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I posted anything - school really gets in the way! g I should be posting a little more regularly - at least until Micro & A&P II kick into full gear.
Chapter Five - Regrouping...
"Whew," Jack sighed, shucking off his coat and tossing it on the nearest sitting room chair, "I'm glad that's over!"
Ariana nodded in agreement, grimacing as she sat on a couch to remove her footwear. "You and me both, Jack. I don't know why I assumed a formal banquet on another planet would be all that different from one at home. Schiesse! My feet are killing me."
Daniel sat next to Ariana on the couch and moved to take one of her feet in his hands so that he could begin massaging it. Neither of them noticed Jack's quickly suppressed expression of surprise at the casual intimacy.
"Were you able to identify all of the council members, Nana?" asked Daniel.
"Um, I think so," Ariana replied. She had closed her eyes and was sprawled in her corner of the couch, enjoying Daniel's ministrations.
"Balinsky mentioned that the Council was made up of entirely women," Daniel commented.
"Yes," Ariana nodded, "But the Consort and the Maerlyn, that's their high priest, are allowed to sit in all but the closed sessions. They don't have voting privileges, but they act as advisors to the queen.
"How many women are on the Council?" asked Jack, half-mesmerized by the interplay between his two friends. Daniel now had both of Ariana's feet in his lap and was massaging her calves as well as her feet.
"Five, including the queen," Ariana replied. "Let's see if I can remember them all... There's Elwyn mab Ailis le Carlow – she was the heavy-set older woman. She's in charge of the trade guilds. A very sharp woman, I gather, and not one to be easily taken in. Kyna mab Olwan le Trynt was the young woman with the long blonde hair. Her lands are mostly along the coast and her people control most of the ports. The older brunette that was seated at the end of the table was Aelwyn mab Eithne le Newlyn. She's one of the oldest council members and also happens to be Padraig's mother. Lyneth mab Caitir le Sayer was the black-haired woman sitting next to Daniel. I think most of her people are involved in forestry and such," Ariana looked at Daniel for confirmation as she finished her recitation.
Daniel nodded. "Most of her lands are heavily forested. They produce most of the wood products for the Avalorans: furniture, musical instruments, etc."
"You forgot someone, Farrell," Jack said.
Ariana smirked. "Oh, yes! How could I forget – our troublemaker - Epona mab Aderyn le Heremon? You were seated next to her, Jack. What was your impression of Etain's mother?"
Jack snorted. "I'm not certain that Etain wasn't adopted at birth. That woman is unbelievable. She makes Hathor look like a nun or something. She actually told me that she collects men. Epona considers herself to be a 'connoisseur of male beauty.' I spent half the meal trying to keep her hands off my thigh and the other half trying to keep her attention away from Daniel."
Daniel frowned for a moment, then asked, "What are her thoughts on a treaty with Earth? Did she give you any indication of what she would want in exchange for access to the naquadah she controls?"
"Oh, Epona will play ball if she's 'adequately compensated' I believe was the phrase she used," Jack replied.
"What does she want?" Ariana asked warily.
"Well, from the way she was looking at our friend, here, I think I can hazard a guess," drawled Jack.
Daniel flushed and sat up straighter. "You don't... You can't mean... Why? I didn't even speak with the blasted woman!" he protested.
Ariana shook her head. "You don't have to do anything, Daniel. I saw you tonight when you were talking to Lailoken. You're never more attractive than when you are interested in something or someone."
Jack thought that Ariana's comments were telling; though neither of his friends seemed to realize it. Daniel was blushing, but Ariana was just laughing at her friend's consternation.
"I said it a long time ago, Danny – 'a girl on every planet.' I never said that you picked them all that well," Jack smirked.
Daniel shot him a dirty look and removed Ariana's feet from his lap so that he could jump up to pace the floor. "Don't be ridiculous, Jack. Epona can't be that hedonistic. There must be something legitimate that we can offer her."
Ariana said, "The queen indicated to me that most of the council members were simply interested in fair trade. You know, the usual stuff - medicines, cultural exchange, mostly low-tech stuff."
Jack thought for a moment. "The problem is that Epona doesn't really need anything. Her people control the bulk of naquadah production on the planet – she's the richest member of the council and that gives her a lot of power on the council. She also mentioned that they supply most of the horses used by the Avaloran military. Evidently her people have produced the best horses in the country for several generations – something she seemed very proud of. In fact, the only time during the entire meal that she seemed normal was when she was talking about horses."
Ariana poked her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Hmm. Maybe we can take advantage of that pride..."
"How?" Daniel asked.
"If Epona's people are the dedicated horsemen that you say they are, Jack, then they'll be interested in improving their stock by introducing new bloodlines."
"We can't start bringing livestock through the gate – Hammond would have a fit!" Jack protested.
"We wouldn't have to, Jack. A lot of top breeders are starting to use artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization to increase the productivity of their studs. All we have to do is find a veterinarian to help us and get an idea of what the Avalorans want. I could probably get a couple of breed catalogs so that the Avalorans can get an idea of what we can offer them."
"Catalogs?" Jack asked, "Do I really want to know what you mean, Farrell?"
"How are we going to convince General Hammond to clear a veterinarian for access to the gate?" Daniel asked almost simultaneously.
Jack answered before Ariana had the chance. "That part's easy, Daniel. We'll just get someone in from VETCOM. There's a branch office in Denver, if I remember correctly. I want to know more about this 'catalog' idea."
Ariana shook her head, amused by Jack's single-mindedness. "It's exactly what you think it is, Jack. Don't worry about it."
"What's VETCOM?" Daniel asked, frowning, "Why must the military have an acronym for everything?"
Jack sighed theatrically. "VETCOM is short for the US Army Veterinary Command. They have a branch in Denver – they should have someone there or at Fort Carson who will have the security clearance and skills that we'd need."
"The US military has its own veterinarians?" Daniel couldn't quite seem to get his mind to accept the idea.
"Yes, Daniel, they do. Now, if you two will excuse me, I'm going to go outside so that I can radio in and give Reynolds an update. Talk amongst yourselves while I'm gone," Jack flicked his fingers in their direction as he made his way to his pack to retrieve his radio and exited the suite.
Ariana and Daniel looked at each other for several seconds before they both shrugged; grinning at Jack's rather bizarre sense of humor.