The Madness of Ares II
by Starsinger
All right, so I couldn't leave him in that brothel. Sorry this took so long. Nope, still don't own them.
P3X-459 was one of the few worlds that the Jaffa renegades felt safe, the fact that it was one of the worlds designated by Metis as a safe planet helped immensely. A small village sprang up near the Stargate as Jaffa of many backgrounds and their families settled into what passed for a normal life, without their "Gods".
Semi-permanent structures that they called homes surrounded a central square. On the square was an open market selling food. Shops also sprang up along the square, but the central point of the village was the "temple". Now, this was not a temple in the traditional sense of the word, this was a meeting point. The town elders met to discuss the needs of their own people. Families met to celebrate births and mourn those who passed on. Most importantly, this was also where the priests brought the Tok'ra young before their placement.
Also, later that day, the priests would call down blessings upon the union of Jacob Carter and Marina Johnson in that temple. Sarah and Marina strolled down the dusty street with one thing on their minds: dresses. Sam had found one earlier that day and recommended the shop to them, so there was purpose in their steps. Suddenly, Marina stopped. A dress was hung out to dry in the morning light. A light russet color, it was beautifully stitched and embroidered, and it looked like it would fit. Marina's breath caught in her throat as she reached up and touched it. It was made of a cotton-like fiber and exquisitely made. "I wonder if I could persuade the owner to part with this," she said to Sarah.
"For a price," a female voice sounded behind her. Marina turned with the question on her lips. "Ah, the Bride, you I will give the dress to for free. I could use the free advertising." Sarah laughed as an older woman pulled the dress down and motioned the two women inside. "Let's see how it fits."
Sarah waited outside the room as Marina was laced into the dress. As she exited the room Sarah sighed. She looked stunning; the sleeves were attached by ribbons at the shoulder and the wrists. The dress laced up the back and a white full chemise displayed quite a bit of cleavage up front. An A-Frame petticoat held the skirt out at the sides. The skirt was slightly too long which the woman, Mitzi, promised to fix in time for the wedding.
Sarah found a straight blue dress with silver embroidery in the shop that didn't require any alterations and the pair headed back down the street. "So, what are you thinking now?" she asked.
"Hats and shoes, I can't be married in combat boots," she sighed, looking down at her footwear. It had been really nice of General Hammond to give her these after she lost hers on Hephaestus' ship, but she didn't think they actually went with the dress.
"Why don't we just go barefoot?" Sarah asked, nonchalantly.
Marina stared at her blankly as her words dawned on her consciousness. She started laughing, "I love it, let's do just that." She replied.
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Both Jacob and Marina wanted everyone who desired to attend the ceremony, the result being it was being held on the temple grounds. Jacob, Jack, and George Hammond stood at next to the priest in full military garb. As they turned to look down the aisle, Sam came in first, dressed in a light green in the same style as Sarah's dress. Next came Sarah in her blue dress, Larry sighed at how beautiful she looked. As Marina turned down the aisle on Richard's arm, they all sighed. In addition to the beautiful gown, a hairdresser had elaborately curled and plaited her hair. This trailed down her back to be clasped at the end by a silver clip.
"You really know how to pick 'em, don't you, Jacob?"George asked. Jacob grinned as Marina joined before the priest and the ceremony began.
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Addie slowly awoke, she felt like she had been hit by a truck, a very big truck. The brothel looked like someone had set off a bomb inside it. People lay everywhere. Some were probably dying. She sat up with difficulty, and started to look for her phone. Dialing 911 she wondered if her arm was broken, "911, What's your emergency?"
She told him what had happened and looked around, the other number; she needed to call the other number. Finally, she dredged it out of her memory, "Cheyenne Mountain, how may I direct you call?"
"Yes, my name is Addie, I was told to call this number if 'Ricardo' disappeared…"
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The ceremony went off without a hitch. As the priest called down his final blessings, the newly wed couple kissed and the crowd cheered. Then, fire rained down from the sky. People ran for their lives fighters fired upon the ground below. Jacob grabbed Marina's hand and they made a dash for the still standing wall of a nearby destroyed building.
Jack and the rest of the wedding party joined them as explosions shook the ground. "Which system lord would dare this?" he asked.
"Ares," came the growled reply. They looked at the woman standing in front of them. Her eyes were fixed on the smoke in the distance as a figure appeared silhouetted in the grayish haze. "Anyone have a hand device?" Athena asked, almost conversationally.
Sarah pulled one out of her petticoats, "Always prepared, My Queen."
Athena sighed, "Don't call me that, Sarah." She looked down; Jacob had sustained a head injury and was lying on the ground. "Take care of him for me," she pleaded, donning the device and strode out onto the square. She took a deep breath, "All right, Ares, I'm here. Let's finish this."
"You THINK you can take on me!" he roared. "I AM THE GOD OF WAR!"
"He sounds impressive," Jack commented, drawing groans from those around him.
"Then bring it, Godling. I defeated the mighty Apophis. Do you honestly think you're a match for me?" she replied.
"Apophis?!" came the startled reaction from several directions. Bright lights and deafening thunder arose from the general location of the two combatants. They soon realized that it was moving away from the village; Athena apparently wanted to minimize casualties. They followed, anxious to see the outcome as a firefight raged around them.
As the smoke cleared, Athena stood victorious, Ares' host's prone body lying on the ground, no one really sure if he was alive or dead. She held the wriggling form of a Goauld aloft for his entire Jaffa to see. "Look at me, followers of the mad God Ares. I am Athena, and I am no God. Yet, I defeated Ares," she broke the spine of the Goauld in front of her, causing it to go limp.
Athena took a deep, steadying breath as she continued, "Join your brethren here in their fight against the false Gods, and begin to learn to live in peace."
General Hammond made the mad dash to her as she toppled over in a faint.
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"Two broken arms, a broken leg, a concussion, and someone who's a little confused," Dr. Frasier concluded. "All in all, not bad for a day's work, Jack," she finished with a grin.
"Oh, let's not forget the dead Goauld," he said, shifting his left arm. Somehow, his was one of the broken arms, and Sam was on crutches. "Aren't you glad she decided to go barefoot?" he asked her. She gave him a funny look as they looked across the clearing. Some of the children had found flowers and braided it into garlands for everyone to wear. Marina plopped down beside them, her garland made of white.
Sam sighed, "I had hoped to dance with my father."
"Yeah, I know he'd been hoping the same thing, but unless you want to hop around on one leg…" Sam blew a raspberry at her.
"Where are you going for your honeymoon?" Hammond asked.
Jacob laughed, "We're going to Disney World!" laughter trailed off into the sunset as everyone knew their ordeal was finally over. The Tok'ra had a future, and Ares was gone. Sam was pleased because her father, after many years alone, was finally happy again. She grinned as someone had found some fireworks and set them off in honor of the newlyweds. Jacob put his arm around Marina's waist and watched. The past was known, the future, uncertain, but they would face it together.
And so I'm done. Sorry it took so long. Thank you to everyone who reviewed this, I really appreciate your input.