What Happens on Archadia....
Posted on Tue Oct 13th, 2015 @ 9:04pm by Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin & Lieutenant Commander William Harding M.D. & Solaana
Mission: Further Challenges
* Archadia - The Palace *
Stiff from having slept on Solaana's couch, a wholly unsuitable sleeping platform for a man of his size, Darwin rose and stretched, trying to work some flexibility back into his spine. "Damned short people...," he muttered. Knocking on the door to the adjoining bedroom, he called, "Will! Get up! Tonight, I get the bed!"
Will stirred from sleep and murmured something incoherent. Even before he opened his eyes he reached over for Solaana. “Your so-called third consort is getting uppity,” he joked.
"He has had that couch for two nights. I suppose I could be nice and have a bed brought in for him," she replied, directing his hands to appropriate places. "You have a more pressing task at hand, though."
“I do. Doctor’s orders,” Will joked and then paid attention to the task at hand, despite Darwin’s continued banging on the door.
Darwin did quit knocking, right about the second "Yes!" from Solaana. He knew better than to open the door - that "yes" wasn't an invitation. Giving up on those two, he dressed then went out the other door to get breakfast.
In the kitchens, Darwin flirted lightly with a cook who served him a healthy portion of biscuits and sausage gravy with a couple of eggs. He took the heavy plate to a table in the servants’ courtyard and sat to eat and enjoy the scenery.
“I’m surprised to see you out here eating alone. Solaana was all but drooling over you when she had you in her quarters.” Parker sat down across from Darwin. “Though the palace gossip says you’ve been sleeping on the sofa. Imagine my surprise.”
“Eh, palace gossip doesn’t know just what happens behind closed doors. Will and I have been trading off - he’ll sleep on the couch while I’m...,” he shrugged, “and then I’ll be on the couch for a bit. Solaana said she might have a bed placed in there to make us more comfortable.”
That wasn’t good news for Parker, as his pinched expression showed. She had never offered to put in an extra bed so he could stay when her precious William was in residence.
“Is that so?” he asked. His fingers fidgeted with the edge of the tablecloth.
“Yeah. I have this thing I do... drives women crazy,” Darwin pushed Parker’s buttons a little harder. “I’m just concerned that Will’s illness was aimed at Solaana, not him. I mean... she’s the important one. Why go after Will? He’s nothing, compared to her. Without her, where are we?”
“You two would be nowhere. I’ve never understood her fascination with an off-worlder...now two of them. It’s against tradition, human. Perhaps there is your reason,” Parker answered. “Perhaps it was aimed at William to protect her from herself. Just a theory.”
“Protect her from herself? That’s rather patronizing, don’t you think?” Darwin was sorry for the company: the biscuits were phenomenally good. He would have liked to enjoy them without Parker’s odious presence.
“Not at all. Solaana had strong...urges, as I’m sure you know. Some might worry that she is too preoccupied with William instead of her position.” Parker pursed his lips as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. “She does seem to care overly much for him. Surprising, really.”
“I suppose, though they do have a history together. I could see that being a concern - especially since she demoted you to second man-slut. I think it’s likely you’ll soon be third on the totem pole - rather, third in line to get your totem worshipped.” He laughed.
“You think you are so amusing, don’t you?” Parker snapped. “I don’t find the situation at all funny. Politics is serious business here, but you wouldn’t understand that. What happens if she wants to marry him, for god’s sake? You’ll be sent packing too.”
“I get that politics are huge here. You think she’d marry him? Even if she does, doesn’t she keep consorts anyway?”
“If she wants, but that would mean that William has certain legal rights that we do not. He’d also be a very rich man, Darwin,” Parker answered. “All it takes is the passing of an arrow and a witness and it’s done. If she did, he would have the right to dismiss those of us he doesn’t like too.”
Darwin frowned. “I didn’t know that. Just an arrow and a witness? And he’d be rich? Jeez. After this morning, I bet I’d be the first dismissed...,” he looked a touch sheepish, “I did this thing that made Solaana ...ah... well, beg.” He smiled rakishly.
Red splotches appeared in Parker’s cheeks, making clear his intense anger. “I really don’t want to know. Really. Besides, William seems attached to you, I’m sure you have no need to worry like some of us.”
“Yeah. He doesn’t like you - thinks you’re too... provincial. You know, ahh...,” Darwin snapped his fingers, as if he were searching for the right word, “um..., backwater! That’s the word he used. Yeah. Well-built but dumb.” The Security Lieutenant watched Parker closely without appearing to. The redness on his cheeks, the thin line of his lips, the crazed glint in his eyes... for Darwin, it was adding up.
“I choose to follow the traditions of Archadia, something he cannot possibly understand.” Parker’s words had become rapid and clipped. “It used to be what Solaana wanted before he arrived. Since then? He simply had to show up and she drops everything for him.” His eyes widened then. “What if it’s too late? What if they already have? She’s barely spoken to me in days!”
“Well, she’s been busy with the two of us, Parker. She doesn’t really need a third - oh, sorry, second consort,” Darwin smiled, chuckling. “Looks like she really does prefer off-worlders.”
His hands balled into fists, wadding up the tablecloth in them. “You are over-confident, Darwin. She’ll kick you to the curb too, you’ll see. Unless we can somehow change her mind.” His tone had softened, turned more inviting. “It’s possible.”
“How could we do that? I mean, if she’s going to kick us to the curb, then...,” he shrugged, “What can we do about it?”
Parker gave a nonchalant shrug. “If Will were not in the picture, it would be simple. Maybe there’s a way to cause him to earn her displeasure. I’ve seen her temper, you know. He’s not exactly subservient to her, which is another thing...it surprises me that she puts up with it.”
“Maybe she likes that? Some women do. How do you propose we get her mad at Will?”
Parker considered that for a few seconds. “Another woman here? Whether there is one or not.” He shrugged. “It seems that someone already wants him out of the way if they would poison him at a public party.”
Seyla, Darwin thought. But he wasn’t about to mention Will’s relationship with the Orion and not just because Will was a fellow Fleet officer. “Okay, so we set him up with a woman here? Spread a rumor?” That Parker had just mentioned poison nearly evaded Darwin - it hadn’t been made public knowledge that Will had been poisoned.
“Unfortunately, that might be difficult. William is very well-known here.” He frowned and shook his head. “It would be like trying to get another woman to make a pass at either of us now. No one wants to risk it.”
“Perhaps a Station woman, then? Or... isn’t there a cathouse near here? A paid woman might be willing.”
“There are several, yes, most run by someone on the station. Rumour says it’s a very menacing man with dark hair along with an Orion.”
“I know the Orion. I could call in a favor,” Darwin suggested.
Parker nodded. “Good luck.” He rose from his seat. “We’ll talk soon.” He nodded and departed in a hurry.
Sighing, Darwin nodded. “We will.” He knew now who had tried to kill Will; now he just needed hard evidence.
***********
Solaana
Insatiable
Lt. Commander Will Harding
The Obsession
Lt. M. Darwin
Willing to Please
Parker
Willing to Kill
