The Plant Pt. 06 - Ambassador

"Queen, huh?" Philip asked.

"That's what I heard," Marco said. Soon, the aircraft left the ground and began its ascent. When the captain announced they had reached cruising altitude, the crew rolled carts down the aisle, serving the delegation a platter of shrimp cocktail and fruit.

Marco stopped the female crew member when she came next to him. He noted what looked like a flag patch on one breast of her uniform blouse -- a black rectangle with a green circle in the middle and two gray stripes, one above and one under the circle.

"Excuse me, miss," he said. "Did I hear the captain right? Queen One?"

"Yes, sir, that's right," she said with a wide smile.

"Which queen might that be, if I may ask?"

"Of course," she said. "That would be Queen Tere. This is her aircraft. She doesn't use it much, so she sometimes lets VIPs use it."

"And I take it you've met her?" Marco asked.

"Oh, yes," she said. "She's so nice. Very friendly. Not to mention, hot! I hope I look as good as her one of these days."

"Is there a picture of her somewhere around here?" Philip asked.

"No sir, she's a bit camera shy, although I don't know why. If I had her looks, I'd let everyone take pictures of me," she said. "Let me tell you, her husband is one lucky guy!"

"I see," Marco said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said. "I hope you like the shrimp."

"I do," Marco said. "Very tasty. What kind of fruit is this?" he asked, holding up what looked like a green raspberry.

"That's a greenberry," she said. "They grow wild at NSM -- where we're going. Very sweet. I can make myself sick eating those things." Philip took a bite of one and his face lit up.

"Delicious," he said. "I don't think I've ever tasted anything so sweet."

"They are sweet, aren't they?" she asked.

"Yes, very," Philip said.

"I'm glad you like it. There's more if you want. Help yourself. I also have some greenberry wine if you'd like to try some of that," she said.

"Maybe after I finish eating this," Philip said.

"Very well, sir. Just say the word," she said before sashaying down the aisle. Philip followed her with his eyes, taking in her short skirt and well-formed legs. Wonder what it'd be like to get between those cheeks, he thought. He was brought back to reality by Marco's forced cough.

"Watch it, Romeo," Marco said. "You have a daughter about her age, remember?"

"Hey, I'm a widower. I can dream, can't I?" Philip asked, causing Marco to laugh.

"Still think this is a hoax?" Marco asked.

"Well, a hot camera-shy queen with enough money at her disposal to afford something like this... I'm beginning to think there's something about those instincts of yours after all," Philip said.

"After all these years, you're just figuring that out?" Marco said, making Philip laugh. "I'm curious to learn a bit more about this queen and this NSM. There's another attendant. Let's see if we can get some information out of her."

"Good idea," Philip said. Another female attendant, this one sporting short black hair with bangs that fell almost even with her eyebrows, was making her way down the aisle with a cart holding three bottles of greenish liquid. Philip noticed this attendant's skirt was even shorter than the other woman's and was slit up one side almost to her waist. The top three buttons of her blouse were undone, giving a hint at what was underneath.

"Care for some greenberry wine?" she asked when she reached their seats.

"Yes, please," Philip said. She produced a small glass and poured some of the green liquid into it.

"This stuff can be quite... powerful," she said. "So I would suggest only a small amount until you get used to it. And you, sir?" she asked Marco.

"Sure, I'll try a little bit, please," he said. She poured him a small glass. He watched as Philip took a tentative taste. His eyes opened wide for a moment and he set the glass back down.

"You're right," he said. "That does pack a bit of a punch." Both Marco and the attendant laughed.

"Do you have a couple of minutes?" Marco asked. She looked around the cabin before nodding her head.

"Sure," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I have a couple questions," Marco said. "First off, what's your name?"

"I am called Dahli," she said, sitting down. Philip watched her short skirt rise over her legs and saw the slit opening wider as she sat. She didn't appear to be too concerned that her movements might attract male attention.

"Dahli, my name is Marco, and this is my friend, Philip. What can you tell us about this Queen Tere and NSM?" Marco asked.

"That would be New South Marsookia," she said. "Have you ever been there?"

"No, I can't say that I have. In fact, until just now, I've never even heard of it," Marco said. "And I've been all over the South Pacific in my career." Dahli smiled and nodded her head.

"I was... raised there," she said. "It's really a beautiful place. Believe me, I've traveled all over the world, but there's nothing that equals the beauty of NSM."

"I see," Marco said. "And this Queen Tere?"

"She's so delightful," Dahli said. "I've been in her service all my adult life. You'll never meet a kinder, loving or more compassionate person. We all owe her so much."

"I hope I get to meet her," Marco said.

"Trust me, you'll never forget the experience. I feel so... blessed to be able to serve her." Marco and Philip looked at each other. Dahli adjusted her legs and looked at Philip for a second before smiling. "Would you need some... help... with that, sir?" she asked, glancing at his crotch.

Philip, reacting to Dahli's presence and the burn from the wine, adjusted his legs in a vain effort to hide the tent growing in his trousers. She smiled as she reached down to the snap on her skirt. She opened her skirt and Philip could see her bare, smooth vagina as she spread her legs apart. Philip felt himself getting harder and thought he was going to ejaculate in his trousers.

"It's perfectly okay," she said. "It's the greenberry wine. It does that to everyone. Let me take care of that for you. Just relax." Philip looked at Marco, stunned, as Dahli unzipped his trousers.

"When in Rome," Marco said, shrugging his shoulders. Dahli unbuttoned her blouse and Philip saw her bare breasts, her nipples erect. She opened his trousers and fished out his large black cock.

"Oh my," she moaned as she took it in her hands. "So big. So hard and so very hot. Let Dahli cool you down." She straddled his lap and guided his cock inside her.

"I don't have a condom," he stuttered.

"Not necessary," she whispered in his ear as she moved up and down on him. "Finish inside me. It's perfectly alright. I'm a designated attendant. It's what I'm here for."

"Aaagghhhh," Philip moaned as he exploded inside her, filling her with his semen. She moaned softly in his ear, her head thrown back, her eyes closed as her orgasm washed over her. When they both had caught their breath, she got out of his lap and sat back down in the chair facing him.

"That was... exquisite," she said as she pulled a warm washcloth from her tray. She wiped his softening cock down before zipping his trousers. She looked at Marco before continuing. "That's a natural reaction to the wine. The greenberries by themselves have a similar effect, but it's magnified significantly when they're pressed and made into wine."

"Ah," Marco said, looking at the small glass of wine. "Maybe I should refrain from that, then. Do you have something non-alcoholic?"

"Yes, I have tea here. Would you care for some of that instead?"

"I think that would be a good idea," Marco said. "Please."

"Of course," she said with a smile. She dumped out the wine and gave him a new glass with cold tea. She turned back to Philip. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Much better, thank you," he said with a smile.

"Good. If you feel the need to release again, please press this button," she said, opening a panel on the arm of the seat. "And I'll respond as quickly as possible."

"What about the rest of my people?" Marco asked, concerned. "Have they drank some of this wine?" Dahli looked forward and smiled. Marco followed her gaze and was shocked to see everyone else in the throes of sexual contact with each other and the attendants.

"I'd say they have," Dahli said. "Don't worry. The effect largely wears off once they climax."

"That's good to hear," Marco said. This is going to be a long flight, he thought to himself. After she left, he looked at Philip. Philip looked back at him with a rather sheepish expression on his face.

"Sorry, boss," he said. "I've never had that happen to me. You wouldn't believe what that stuff does to you."

"It's a good thing I know you, Philip," Marco said. "Anyone else would probably have skinned you alive for that."

"You're probably right. Designated attendant, huh?" Philip asked, almost to himself. "I want one of those," he joked.

"Sorry, my friend," Marco said. "Not in the budget." Philip laughed at that.

"You wanna know something?" Philip asked.

"At this point, I'm not sure, but I'll bite," Marco said. "What?"

"I've been having lots of problems in that area for a while, if you know what I mean," Philip told him.

"You mean, ED?" Marco asked.

"Yeah," Philip said. "Little blue pills don't seem to help much, either."

"Interesting," Marco said.

"Tell me about it," Philip said. He stretched in his seat as he yawned. "Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to grab some sleep."

"Good idea," Marco said. He plugged in a set of headphones and watched a movie on the screen attached to an arm of his seat. When it was over, he felt himself getting tired, so he shut the screen off, adjusted his seat and dozed off.

He woke up quite some time later, and saw that one of the attendants had covered him with a blanket. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked around the darkened cabin. Philip was just starting to stir and he noticed the others were doing the same.

Then he saw the attendants wheeling carts down the aisles, handing out meals. He looked at his watch, which was still set to Eastern Daylight Time and saw it was 1:00 pm, Thursday, November 18. Have I been asleep that long, he asked himself.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, grabbed his small flight bag and made his way to one of the lavatories on the aircraft. After using the urinal, he washed his hands and face, shaved and brushed his teeth. He opened the door and was met by Philip, who was waiting to do the same.

"Good morning," Marco said. "Sleep well?"

"Like a baby," Philip said. "If you don't mind, I really need to go..."

"Of course," Marco said, getting out of his way. Dahli met him at his seat and adjusted his tray when he sat down. She put a covered dish on the tray along with a glass of juice and a cup of coffee. He took the cover off the dish and took in the aroma of bacon.

"I hope it's prepared to your satisfaction," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," he said. "I'm sure it's just fine. How much longer before we land?"

"Just a bit over two hours," she said.

"I've been asleep that long?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "We wanted you and your team to be well rested when we reach our destination, so we used an on-board alpha-wave generator to help you relax. I trust you slept well?"

"Yes, very," he said. "Thank you again."

"You're welcome," she said with a smile. Marco ate his breakfast -- bacon, a cheese omelet and a slice of toast. Philip wolfed his breakfast down when he returned to his seat.

"We'll be landing in just about two hours," Marco said. "I want to have a meeting with everyone before we land."

"I'll pass the word," Philip said. "There's a conference room in the aft cabin we can use."

"Thank you, that sounds perfect," Marco said. He pulled out his phone and launched his GPS app, hoping to see where they were. The app, however, wasn't working. This was strange, he thought to himself. He turned to Philip. "Do you have a GPS app on your phone?" he asked.

"Yeah," Philip said. He pulled out his phone, but the application wasn't working for him, either. "That's odd," he said, showing Marco his screen.

"Let's get everyone into the conference room," Marco said. Philip nodded his head and rounded up the others. After they were seated in the small room, Marco looked at them before saying anything.

"I trust everyone slept well," Marco said. Everyone responded in the affirmative. "As far as what happened yesterday," he began before being interrupted.

"I'm pretty certain I speak for all of us when I say we're very sorry about that," Greta said, her face red from embarrassment. "We've talked about it and none of us can explain how it happened. It will never happen again." Everyone else nodded their heads and agreed. Marco held up a hand.

"That's quite alright," he said. "I understand from our attendants that was a result of drinking their greenberry wine. As far as I'm concerned, it will remain between us. Consider it a teachable moment. But I do expect everyone to remain on their toes from here on out. Understood?" Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"First off, I'd like all of you to check your phones and see if you can track where we are," he said. Everyone pulled out their phones and tried using their GPS tracking apps, but none of them worked. He nodded his head. "So, we have no idea where we are. Wonderful," he said. "Has anyone been able to learn anything about our guests?"

"I've not been able to find out anything, except for the fact that their queen is held in very high regard," Franklin said. Everyone else agreed.

"That's what Philip and I learned as well," Marco said. "Anyone else? Any observations?"

"This aircraft is quite expensive," Alena said. "I doubt anyone would go to this expense to pull off a practical joke."

"I tend to agree," Marco said. "But I am concerned that we can't determine our location. I'll ask one of the attendants about that." They discussed the trip and their objectives for another half hour or so before Marco looked at his watch. "I believe we'll be preparing to land before long, so let's get back to our seats. Any final observations?" Everyone shook their heads. "Alright, let's go."

When they had all returned to their seats, Marco motioned to Dahli, who was making her way down the aisle. She smiled as she approached him.

"Yes, sir, what may I do for you?" she asked.

"I was just wondering if you could tell me why none of our GPS applications work?" he asked.

"Oh, that," she said. "It's a security measure the queen had installed on the aircraft. It blocks all types of signals to and from mobile devices like cell phones."

"But what if there's an emergency?" he asked.

"There are protocols in place to deal with any emergency, sir. There's no need for alarm. Trust me, you're quite safe on board this aircraft," she said.

"That's good to hear," Marco said. Dahli smiled before she left and they all heard the captain's voice over the intercom.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," he said. "We are beginning our final approach to New South Marsookia and will land in approximately one hour. We trust you have had a pleasant journey." Marco looked at Philip, who smiled back. This was one trip he wouldn't forget.

About an hour later, Marco looked out his window at the large island below. What he saw amazed him -- not only was there a large airport, but the entire island seemed to be abuzz with activity. There had to be thousands of people down there, he thought. The aircraft slowed down and descended to the island. The attendants made sure everyone was buckled in and all the seats in their upright positions before taking their positions.

Soon, the plane touched down and made its way to a large hangar where two long limousines and an SUV sat. Next to the vehicles were armed men in uniform. When the aircraft stopped, the captain's voice boomed from the intercom.

"We have arrived at New South Marsookia. Local time is 08:42 am, Friday, November 19. Thank you for flying the Queen's Own and we look forward to serving you on your return to New York," he said. Marco realized they had apparently crossed the International Date Line. Everyone unbuckled their seat belts and made their way to the main hatch. Walking down the stairs that had been wheeled out, they followed their uniformed guides to the limousines.

Marco noticed that all of their luggage was already being placed in the SUV. He also noticed the two squads of uniformed soldiers were armed with what looked like old M1 carbines with bayonets attached.

Another soldier with three chevrons on his sleeve barked an order and the others brought their weapons up and took positions on either side of the limousines with a level of precision that Marco had seen once before during a visit to Marine Barracks, 8^th and I Streets in Washington, D.C.

They got in the vehicles and looked out the window as the driver headed out. The uniformed soldiers double-timed in step, their rifles held in front of them. Marco was amazed the soldiers were able to keep up with the limousines. They didn't even seem to be breaking out in a sweat.

After about 25 minutes, they turned onto a long drive that ended at an already-open gate. The soldiers running next to the limousines kept pace and peeled away as the vehicles entered a central courtyard. They stopped in front of a very large stone and brick building. Armed soldiers in dress uniform stood on either side of the carpet. Soldiers opened the doors of the limousines and helped everyone get out of the vehicles.

Another soldier, this one wearing what was obviously an officer's uniform, barked an order, causing the others to stand at attention. He barked another order and they brought their weapons up in what Marco recognized as a salute.

The officer sharply turned to the delegation and brought up his sword in a salute. Marco offered a hand salute in return, and the officer returned his sword to his side, turned and escorted them down the red carpet to the large building, where a small group of men in suits waited.

Marco and his team took in their surroundings as they walked. They each saw the giant green, black and gray flag flying over the building and took in the soldiers, all of whom had the appearance of battle-hardened veterans. Marco had seen many honor guards before, and he was singularly impressed with this one. He took in their ribbons and the way they filled out their uniforms. Something told him he would not want to encounter any of them in combat.

They reached the end of the carpet and were met by two very large men in expensive Italian suits. The taller of the two men towered above them and Marco was forced to look up to meet the man's gaze. He extended a hand and the larger man accepted it in a firm, but not crushing handshake.

"Ambassador Tsod, I presume," Marco said with a smile.

"I am he," Tsod said, returning Marco's smile. "This is Deputy Ambassador Tsuul," he said, introducing the somewhat shorter man with him. "And you must be Secretary-General Gutierrez. Welcome to New South Marsookia."

"It's good to finally meet you in person," Marco said before introducing the rest of the delegation. Everyone shook hands and exchanged greetings. Tsod greeted each of the delegates in their native languages, impressing everyone in the group.

"I must say, Ambassador, this is quite an impressive honor guard you have here," Marco said. Tsod smiled as he nodded his head.

"Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General," he said. "These are some of our best men."

"Please, call me Marco," Marco told him.

"And feel free to call me Tsod, Marco," the tall man said. "Please, come inside. The orderlies will take your luggage and escort you to your rooms. I trust you had a good flight."

"Yes," Marco said. "It was quite... interesting." Tsod smiled at that.