![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
silver_sunTitle: Things Lost and Found Along The Way (2/10)
Rating: pg13
Characters: Jack. AU Ianto, Owen and Tosh.
Word Count: this part 3k (Total so far 5k/approx 22k)
Contains: Serious illness of an alien variety.
Summary: Travelling back to Earth with Ianto, Owen and Toshiko on board the freighter Ariadne, Jack has growing concerns that the glove he'd used to bring them into this universe has somehow affected him. He's still trying to deal with these worries on his own when they receive a distress call from another ship. A call which is about to change everything.
Part one : "Here.">
Morning, or at least the time that has been designated as morning on board the Ariadne, seems to come all too soon. Jack is woken up by Kelda, the ship's engineer, and for today cook as well, announcing over the ship's intercom system that everybody should come and get some breakfast while it's still hot and hopefully edible.
Lying in his bunk, Jack looks up at the riveted metal plates of the low ceiling and wonders if today is likely to be any better than yesterday. Somehow he doubts it.
It's not a good enough reason to just stay in bed, although some days it does have a certain appeal. He's hungry though, and after a moment he gets up.
His knee looks and feels a lot better, and Jack suspects that by the end of the day it will be full healed. It still not the level of healing he'd expect, but it is reassuring. The fears of last night seem distant now, tiredness having grown them out of all proportion.
After taking a few minutes to get washed and dressed, Jack leaves his room.
He is most of the way to the breakroom when he sees Ianto.
Standing in front of one of the small portholes that are sparsely spaced along the length of the corridor, Ianto watches the stars passing by with a melancholy expression on his face.
“I'm sorry about yesterday,” Ianto says, turning to face Jack as he approaches. “I shouldn't have run out like that. You were being fair very about it, and I was unprofessional.”
“You don't have to apologise.” Jack walks over to him, hoping that Ianto initiating the conversation rather than leaving as soon as he saw him is a good sign.
“Perhaps not. I've not been sleeping very well lately,” Ianto says, leaning back against the wall. “It's not much of an excuse for my behaviour. It can't be any easier for you than it is for me.”
Jack doesn't answer. He doesn't want to have to tell Ianto that he's been so preoccupied with trying to work out what the energy transfer glove might have done to him that considering how Ianto, Owen and Tosh are going to manage with being on an Earth that isn't their own, and potential meeting people who knew their counterparts in the universe hasn't featured much in his thoughts.
“I still need to tell Owen and Tosh that I'm not going to stay in Cardiff with them,” he says quietly, sounding sorry that he's going to have to do this to his friends. “I don't want them to think that it's your fault, that you're pushing me away. It's no one's apart from mine.”
“No one's getting blamed,” Jack says firmly.
“All the same, I need to be the one to tell them.” Ianto digs his hands into his pockets, looking defensive. “I don't need you to defend my decisions to them or anyone. I can take care of myself.”
“I never said you couldn't,” Jack says, hoping that Ianto isn't about to walk away from him again.
That same kind of independence had been just one of the things that had drawn him to his Ianto. That and the fact that no matter what happened or what life threw at him Ianto always managed to keep going, and that despite everything he'd seen never stopped believing that somehow things could be right again. He'd been like Gwen in that, it was what had made them such firm friends. Ianto had never just been the cute guy in a suit, sure it had helped, but he'd been so very much more.
Lost in memories for a moment, Jack jumps as Ianto puts a hand on his arm.
“It creeps up on you sometimes, doesn't it?” Ianto says, a knowing look in his eyes. “The memories.”
Jack nods, not trusting his voice. He's got as many, if nor more, good memories than bad, but sometimes it doesn't seem to help.
Ianto smiles sadly. “People always say it gets better with time.”
“Well I've got a whole lot of that.” Jack manages a half hearted smile.
Suddenly the deck beneath their feet seems to vibrate as the noise of the ship's engines increases, the Ariadne shaking violently for a moment before returning to normal.
Rushing back to the porthole, Ianto looks out. “The solar sails, they're changing direction.”
Before Jack can ask if he can see anything else Celesti's voice comes over the ships intercom. “Sorry about that folks, breaking is getting sticky again and the manoeuvring thrusters are knackered. Any way we've just got an SOS on the subspace priority band, no details but it sounds bad. We're the nearest ship for a few hundred thousand miles so it's up to us. So we're-”
The intercom crackles static and then makes a popping noise like it's been hit before they can here Celesti say, “-piece of shit, might as well have tin cans and string.”
Ianto laughs.“I know that feeling.”
“We'll be rendezvousing with the Meridian Star in four hours, in the mean time get some food, we could be in for a long day. Once you're done I want volunteers to check the med supplies, enviro suits and spare parts store. I'm going to try to get some more info from the 'Star about what's wrong, and what a cruise liner is doing out here at the arse end of nowhere.”
“Are you going to volunteer?” Ianto asks after a moment, once they are sure that Celesti's message is over.
“Yeah,” Jack says quickly. It'll give him something to do other than think, because having too much time to dwell on things, especially with the sort of thoughts that he's been having lately has definitely not been a good thing.
“I suppose we should get something to eat then,” Ianto says,
“Who knows, we might even be able to recognise what it is today.” The food hasn't been bad, just rather alien, even to Jack's tastes.
“Maybe.” Ianto laughs. “But I'm not holding out any hope.”
* * *
Tosh gives Ianto a curious and slightly concerned look as he arrives with Jack for breakfast, before waving them over to the table where she and Owen are sitting.
“I'll be glad to get to Earth,” Owen grumbles, pushing his breakfast round his plate with fork. “Nothing that purple should be edible.”
“Oh I don't know,” Jack says sitting down with them. “I knew-”
“Is this story going to put us off our food?” Owen interrupts.
Jack thinks for a moment then says, “Maybe. Depends what you think of alien meat.”
“I think we should probably save it until we've finished eating,” Ianto says, helping himself to the bread and purple scrambled egg like mixture that in the serving dish in the middle of the table.
“You might be right.” Jack smiles, then gets himself some food.
Looking round, Jack can see that most of the Ariadne's crew are in the breakroom. Celesti is sitting at one of the other tables with Pol, discussing interplanetary salvage laws. Wearing a worn tan coloured overall similar to Pol's, but with an equally battered short military jacket over the top, she reminds Jack of some of the old freighter captains that used to put it at the spaceport on Boeshane.
While Kelda is leaning through the serving hatch talking to Orvis, the Ariadne's security and hired muscle, who, at nearly seven foot tall including his horns and with skin that looks like well weathered bark, Jack thinks, would make most people think twice about picking a fight.
“How was engineering?” Ianto asks Tosh, as he pours her another mug of tea from the from the oversize pot on the table.
“Amazing,” Tosh says enthusiastically. “Kelda talked me through the basics on how the stellar wind particle energy transfer relays works. It's brilliant, the possibilities it opens up for long term power sources.”
“Here we go again,” Owen says glumly.
“Owen!” Tosh gives him an irritated look.
“You told me all about it last night.” He pouts, the adds in a put upon tone. “When I was trying to read.”
“That wasn't the sort of book you look at for the writing.”
Owen thinks for a moment and then says more as a suggestion, “anatomical research.”
“It was not,” Tosh says sounding amused. “It was alien porn.”
“You were looking at it too,” Owen says defensively.
Ianto drinks his tea, trying not to laugh.
“I didn't say it wasn't interesting, and it was very educational.” She smiles at Owen, then leans over to whisper something in his ear. Owen's eyes widen and he nearly knocks his mug on the floor.
It almost feels like he's sat back in the Hub with his team again, the good natured banter and teasing between Ianto, Owen and Tosh reminding him of happier days now long gone.
Don't get too used to it. The thought springs unwanted into Jack's mind. As soon as you're back on Earth Ianto will be off. Then how long will it be before something gets to Owen or Toshiko, or maybe it will be Gwen this time?
Jack closes his eyes, the food tasting like ash in his mouth. The conversations around him falling back to become a mindless drone of noise, until Owen says loudly and indignantly, “I don't. Tosh, tell him I don't.”
Tosh gives him a mischievous smile.“Penrhyn circus, that's all I'm saying.”
“That's not fair.” Owen protests. “You were supposed to back me up.”
“And up is definitely what happened there.” There's a suggestive hint in Tosh's voice, and her and Owen stare at each other for a moment, before they start laughing.
“Are you alright?” Ianto asks, while Owen and Tosh are distracted.
“I'm fine.” It doesn't sound very convincing, and from the look on Ianto's face Jack is sure that he doesn't believe him.
Quickly finishing his tea, Jack ignores the remainder of his food, then says, “Got a few things I need to sort out before we go save this liner.” It's a ridiculous excuse, as he doesn't have anything that needs doing and he suspects that Ianto knows it.
“I suppose I'll see you later then,” Ianto says reluctantly, as Jack gets up.
Leaving Ianto to talk to Owen and Tosh, Jack leaves the breakroom. He wonders if Ianto will use the opportunity to tell them that he's not planning on staying in Cardiff, and if he does whether they'll decide that they want to go wherever Ianto does.
“Hey, Harkness!” Celesti calls out as she follows him out into the corridor.
Jack smiles at her disarmingly, any of the uncertainty about what she wants with him is quickly hidden. “Call me Jack.”
Celesti laughs. “You don't need to flirt with me, you're not in trouble. I want your advice.”
“On what?” Jack asks, surprised and a little curious that she'd want his opinion on anything. After all to her he's just another passenger that came aboard a few days ago.
“On boarding the Meridian Star if the situation over there has really gone arse up.” Celesti nods at Jack to follow her and then starts walking again.
“What makes you think I'd know any better than you?”
“You signed in as a captain.” She looks at Jack intently for a moment, then continues, “You're not a freighter or cruise ship captain, I'd bet my life on that. No, you're military, and you've seen combat.” She absently rubs an old, faded burn on her neck. “It's there in your eyes, all the things you'd wished you'd been able to stop and couldn't, the friends and lives lost.”
“I could say the same about you,” Jack says, not entirely comfortable about where this conversation is going. There are too many things in his past that he regrets, and which he's not about to start sharing with anyone.
“I served mostly in peace time.” She gives him a tight smile. “Wars cost money and if there's one thing those in charge down on Sto hate it's spending so much a copper credit on anything but pleasure for themselves.”
“War's not always the answer,” Jack says wearily. He's seen enough conflicts through the years to be sure of that. Killing is another matter, killing where and when necessary, especially to stop further bloodshed hasn't been something he's ever really had a problem with.
“Maybe not. But buying people's silence with money or a bullet because it's cheaper than letting people find out about massacres or whole colony worlds that have been decimated?” The look Celesti gives him challenges him to contradict her. “You're not ever going to convince me that's right.”
“I wouldn't try,” Jack says. He's not particularly familiar with the political or military situation on Sto, but politicians and generals playing chess with peoples lives he's seen on enough worlds and centuries that he doesn't surprise him.
“I didn't think you would.” She stops outside the door to the bridge. “I've got a few ideas, but I wouldn't mind a second opinion.”
“Sure.” If there is even the smallest possibility that they are about to get into a dangerous situation Jack wants to be part of it – sitting around while other people make the decisions isn't something that he's ever been good at. Apart from that it feels good to have something to concentrate on that isn't connected with either his apparently faulty healing ability and sudden need to sleep or the increasingly complicated situation with Ianto.
“Anything come through?” Celesti asks as she walks in, heading for the 3D holographic display charting the Ariadne's position relative to the Meridian Star.
“Nothing yet.” At the controls Vran pilots the ship, making manual adjustments to the plotted course, her multiple tentacled arms moving across the banks of controls with ease.
“There's been no response to any hails?” Jack asks, apprehension growing slightly.
“Nothing.” Celesti punches a few keys on the control panel next to the display. “Just the same automated distress call repeated over and over.”
“This is the Nova Line's Empress class liner, Meridian Star, requesting urgent assistance. Location coordinates, Fodai star system, grid section 73-13-94. This is the Nova Line's Empress class liner, Meridian Star, requesting urgent assistance. Location coordinates Fodai star system, grid section 73-13-95. This is the Nova-”
Celesti mutes the transmission, the toneless, impassive computerised voice giving the message falling silent. “Doesn't sound good, does it?”
“No,” Jack agrees. A passenger liner, especially one providing first class travel, should, short of something pretty disastrous, have enough crew that somebody should be answering the comms.
“Cel,” Vran calls over. “I've just got the reply back from Nova Lines, they say the Meridian Star was sold off a while back, so it's not their problem”
“Well ain't that just great,” Celesti says watching the position of the ships change fractionally on the 3D chart. “Makes a bit more sense why they're out here though, they could be heading out to the ship yards in Polpaxi to get refitted or broken down.”
“Something still doesn't seem right.” Jack wonders if it's too long working for Torchwood that has him always expecting the worst, he's sure there must have been a time once, years ago, when he would have viewed the prospect of exploring mysterious space liner with eager anticipation.
“I know what you mean. It doesn't seem like a trap though, it's too damn random.” Celesti drums her fingers against the edge of the console, the two that are missing on her left hand making for a slightly of beat rhythm. “There's no way they could know who'd pick up the distress call.”
“Unless they don't care.” Jack knows that's not likely, but he's seen and heard a lot of unlike things in his life.
“Assume the worse, hope for the best,” Celesti says with some amusement. “I want people who know which end of a gun is which to go over in the first group, just in case. You want in?”
“Wouldn't miss it.” If there's going to be trouble, Jack wants to know what's going on, and be in a position to stop it.
“Guess we're not going know any more until we dock with the 'Star and get some readings,” Celesti says, checking the projected rendezvous time. “We've got a while until we get there, so do what you need to to get ready, and I'll give everybody a shout when we're ready to dock.”
Realising that Celesti is bringing their discussion to a close, Jack says, “I'll be waiting.” Then heads back to his room.
: "Part 3.">
Rating: pg13
Characters: Jack. AU Ianto, Owen and Tosh.
Word Count: this part 3k (Total so far 5k/approx 22k)
Contains: Serious illness of an alien variety.
Summary: Travelling back to Earth with Ianto, Owen and Toshiko on board the freighter Ariadne, Jack has growing concerns that the glove he'd used to bring them into this universe has somehow affected him. He's still trying to deal with these worries on his own when they receive a distress call from another ship. A call which is about to change everything.
Part one : "Here.">
Morning, or at least the time that has been designated as morning on board the Ariadne, seems to come all too soon. Jack is woken up by Kelda, the ship's engineer, and for today cook as well, announcing over the ship's intercom system that everybody should come and get some breakfast while it's still hot and hopefully edible.
Lying in his bunk, Jack looks up at the riveted metal plates of the low ceiling and wonders if today is likely to be any better than yesterday. Somehow he doubts it.
It's not a good enough reason to just stay in bed, although some days it does have a certain appeal. He's hungry though, and after a moment he gets up.
His knee looks and feels a lot better, and Jack suspects that by the end of the day it will be full healed. It still not the level of healing he'd expect, but it is reassuring. The fears of last night seem distant now, tiredness having grown them out of all proportion.
After taking a few minutes to get washed and dressed, Jack leaves his room.
He is most of the way to the breakroom when he sees Ianto.
Standing in front of one of the small portholes that are sparsely spaced along the length of the corridor, Ianto watches the stars passing by with a melancholy expression on his face.
“I'm sorry about yesterday,” Ianto says, turning to face Jack as he approaches. “I shouldn't have run out like that. You were being fair very about it, and I was unprofessional.”
“You don't have to apologise.” Jack walks over to him, hoping that Ianto initiating the conversation rather than leaving as soon as he saw him is a good sign.
“Perhaps not. I've not been sleeping very well lately,” Ianto says, leaning back against the wall. “It's not much of an excuse for my behaviour. It can't be any easier for you than it is for me.”
Jack doesn't answer. He doesn't want to have to tell Ianto that he's been so preoccupied with trying to work out what the energy transfer glove might have done to him that considering how Ianto, Owen and Tosh are going to manage with being on an Earth that isn't their own, and potential meeting people who knew their counterparts in the universe hasn't featured much in his thoughts.
“I still need to tell Owen and Tosh that I'm not going to stay in Cardiff with them,” he says quietly, sounding sorry that he's going to have to do this to his friends. “I don't want them to think that it's your fault, that you're pushing me away. It's no one's apart from mine.”
“No one's getting blamed,” Jack says firmly.
“All the same, I need to be the one to tell them.” Ianto digs his hands into his pockets, looking defensive. “I don't need you to defend my decisions to them or anyone. I can take care of myself.”
“I never said you couldn't,” Jack says, hoping that Ianto isn't about to walk away from him again.
That same kind of independence had been just one of the things that had drawn him to his Ianto. That and the fact that no matter what happened or what life threw at him Ianto always managed to keep going, and that despite everything he'd seen never stopped believing that somehow things could be right again. He'd been like Gwen in that, it was what had made them such firm friends. Ianto had never just been the cute guy in a suit, sure it had helped, but he'd been so very much more.
Lost in memories for a moment, Jack jumps as Ianto puts a hand on his arm.
“It creeps up on you sometimes, doesn't it?” Ianto says, a knowing look in his eyes. “The memories.”
Jack nods, not trusting his voice. He's got as many, if nor more, good memories than bad, but sometimes it doesn't seem to help.
Ianto smiles sadly. “People always say it gets better with time.”
“Well I've got a whole lot of that.” Jack manages a half hearted smile.
Suddenly the deck beneath their feet seems to vibrate as the noise of the ship's engines increases, the Ariadne shaking violently for a moment before returning to normal.
Rushing back to the porthole, Ianto looks out. “The solar sails, they're changing direction.”
Before Jack can ask if he can see anything else Celesti's voice comes over the ships intercom. “Sorry about that folks, breaking is getting sticky again and the manoeuvring thrusters are knackered. Any way we've just got an SOS on the subspace priority band, no details but it sounds bad. We're the nearest ship for a few hundred thousand miles so it's up to us. So we're-”
The intercom crackles static and then makes a popping noise like it's been hit before they can here Celesti say, “-piece of shit, might as well have tin cans and string.”
Ianto laughs.“I know that feeling.”
“We'll be rendezvousing with the Meridian Star in four hours, in the mean time get some food, we could be in for a long day. Once you're done I want volunteers to check the med supplies, enviro suits and spare parts store. I'm going to try to get some more info from the 'Star about what's wrong, and what a cruise liner is doing out here at the arse end of nowhere.”
“Are you going to volunteer?” Ianto asks after a moment, once they are sure that Celesti's message is over.
“Yeah,” Jack says quickly. It'll give him something to do other than think, because having too much time to dwell on things, especially with the sort of thoughts that he's been having lately has definitely not been a good thing.
“I suppose we should get something to eat then,” Ianto says,
“Who knows, we might even be able to recognise what it is today.” The food hasn't been bad, just rather alien, even to Jack's tastes.
“Maybe.” Ianto laughs. “But I'm not holding out any hope.”
* * *
Tosh gives Ianto a curious and slightly concerned look as he arrives with Jack for breakfast, before waving them over to the table where she and Owen are sitting.
“I'll be glad to get to Earth,” Owen grumbles, pushing his breakfast round his plate with fork. “Nothing that purple should be edible.”
“Oh I don't know,” Jack says sitting down with them. “I knew-”
“Is this story going to put us off our food?” Owen interrupts.
Jack thinks for a moment then says, “Maybe. Depends what you think of alien meat.”
“I think we should probably save it until we've finished eating,” Ianto says, helping himself to the bread and purple scrambled egg like mixture that in the serving dish in the middle of the table.
“You might be right.” Jack smiles, then gets himself some food.
Looking round, Jack can see that most of the Ariadne's crew are in the breakroom. Celesti is sitting at one of the other tables with Pol, discussing interplanetary salvage laws. Wearing a worn tan coloured overall similar to Pol's, but with an equally battered short military jacket over the top, she reminds Jack of some of the old freighter captains that used to put it at the spaceport on Boeshane.
While Kelda is leaning through the serving hatch talking to Orvis, the Ariadne's security and hired muscle, who, at nearly seven foot tall including his horns and with skin that looks like well weathered bark, Jack thinks, would make most people think twice about picking a fight.
“How was engineering?” Ianto asks Tosh, as he pours her another mug of tea from the from the oversize pot on the table.
“Amazing,” Tosh says enthusiastically. “Kelda talked me through the basics on how the stellar wind particle energy transfer relays works. It's brilliant, the possibilities it opens up for long term power sources.”
“Here we go again,” Owen says glumly.
“Owen!” Tosh gives him an irritated look.
“You told me all about it last night.” He pouts, the adds in a put upon tone. “When I was trying to read.”
“That wasn't the sort of book you look at for the writing.”
Owen thinks for a moment and then says more as a suggestion, “anatomical research.”
“It was not,” Tosh says sounding amused. “It was alien porn.”
“You were looking at it too,” Owen says defensively.
Ianto drinks his tea, trying not to laugh.
“I didn't say it wasn't interesting, and it was very educational.” She smiles at Owen, then leans over to whisper something in his ear. Owen's eyes widen and he nearly knocks his mug on the floor.
It almost feels like he's sat back in the Hub with his team again, the good natured banter and teasing between Ianto, Owen and Tosh reminding him of happier days now long gone.
Don't get too used to it. The thought springs unwanted into Jack's mind. As soon as you're back on Earth Ianto will be off. Then how long will it be before something gets to Owen or Toshiko, or maybe it will be Gwen this time?
Jack closes his eyes, the food tasting like ash in his mouth. The conversations around him falling back to become a mindless drone of noise, until Owen says loudly and indignantly, “I don't. Tosh, tell him I don't.”
Tosh gives him a mischievous smile.“Penrhyn circus, that's all I'm saying.”
“That's not fair.” Owen protests. “You were supposed to back me up.”
“And up is definitely what happened there.” There's a suggestive hint in Tosh's voice, and her and Owen stare at each other for a moment, before they start laughing.
“Are you alright?” Ianto asks, while Owen and Tosh are distracted.
“I'm fine.” It doesn't sound very convincing, and from the look on Ianto's face Jack is sure that he doesn't believe him.
Quickly finishing his tea, Jack ignores the remainder of his food, then says, “Got a few things I need to sort out before we go save this liner.” It's a ridiculous excuse, as he doesn't have anything that needs doing and he suspects that Ianto knows it.
“I suppose I'll see you later then,” Ianto says reluctantly, as Jack gets up.
Leaving Ianto to talk to Owen and Tosh, Jack leaves the breakroom. He wonders if Ianto will use the opportunity to tell them that he's not planning on staying in Cardiff, and if he does whether they'll decide that they want to go wherever Ianto does.
“Hey, Harkness!” Celesti calls out as she follows him out into the corridor.
Jack smiles at her disarmingly, any of the uncertainty about what she wants with him is quickly hidden. “Call me Jack.”
Celesti laughs. “You don't need to flirt with me, you're not in trouble. I want your advice.”
“On what?” Jack asks, surprised and a little curious that she'd want his opinion on anything. After all to her he's just another passenger that came aboard a few days ago.
“On boarding the Meridian Star if the situation over there has really gone arse up.” Celesti nods at Jack to follow her and then starts walking again.
“What makes you think I'd know any better than you?”
“You signed in as a captain.” She looks at Jack intently for a moment, then continues, “You're not a freighter or cruise ship captain, I'd bet my life on that. No, you're military, and you've seen combat.” She absently rubs an old, faded burn on her neck. “It's there in your eyes, all the things you'd wished you'd been able to stop and couldn't, the friends and lives lost.”
“I could say the same about you,” Jack says, not entirely comfortable about where this conversation is going. There are too many things in his past that he regrets, and which he's not about to start sharing with anyone.
“I served mostly in peace time.” She gives him a tight smile. “Wars cost money and if there's one thing those in charge down on Sto hate it's spending so much a copper credit on anything but pleasure for themselves.”
“War's not always the answer,” Jack says wearily. He's seen enough conflicts through the years to be sure of that. Killing is another matter, killing where and when necessary, especially to stop further bloodshed hasn't been something he's ever really had a problem with.
“Maybe not. But buying people's silence with money or a bullet because it's cheaper than letting people find out about massacres or whole colony worlds that have been decimated?” The look Celesti gives him challenges him to contradict her. “You're not ever going to convince me that's right.”
“I wouldn't try,” Jack says. He's not particularly familiar with the political or military situation on Sto, but politicians and generals playing chess with peoples lives he's seen on enough worlds and centuries that he doesn't surprise him.
“I didn't think you would.” She stops outside the door to the bridge. “I've got a few ideas, but I wouldn't mind a second opinion.”
“Sure.” If there is even the smallest possibility that they are about to get into a dangerous situation Jack wants to be part of it – sitting around while other people make the decisions isn't something that he's ever been good at. Apart from that it feels good to have something to concentrate on that isn't connected with either his apparently faulty healing ability and sudden need to sleep or the increasingly complicated situation with Ianto.
“Anything come through?” Celesti asks as she walks in, heading for the 3D holographic display charting the Ariadne's position relative to the Meridian Star.
“Nothing yet.” At the controls Vran pilots the ship, making manual adjustments to the plotted course, her multiple tentacled arms moving across the banks of controls with ease.
“There's been no response to any hails?” Jack asks, apprehension growing slightly.
“Nothing.” Celesti punches a few keys on the control panel next to the display. “Just the same automated distress call repeated over and over.”
“This is the Nova Line's Empress class liner, Meridian Star, requesting urgent assistance. Location coordinates, Fodai star system, grid section 73-13-94. This is the Nova Line's Empress class liner, Meridian Star, requesting urgent assistance. Location coordinates Fodai star system, grid section 73-13-95. This is the Nova-”
Celesti mutes the transmission, the toneless, impassive computerised voice giving the message falling silent. “Doesn't sound good, does it?”
“No,” Jack agrees. A passenger liner, especially one providing first class travel, should, short of something pretty disastrous, have enough crew that somebody should be answering the comms.
“Cel,” Vran calls over. “I've just got the reply back from Nova Lines, they say the Meridian Star was sold off a while back, so it's not their problem”
“Well ain't that just great,” Celesti says watching the position of the ships change fractionally on the 3D chart. “Makes a bit more sense why they're out here though, they could be heading out to the ship yards in Polpaxi to get refitted or broken down.”
“Something still doesn't seem right.” Jack wonders if it's too long working for Torchwood that has him always expecting the worst, he's sure there must have been a time once, years ago, when he would have viewed the prospect of exploring mysterious space liner with eager anticipation.
“I know what you mean. It doesn't seem like a trap though, it's too damn random.” Celesti drums her fingers against the edge of the console, the two that are missing on her left hand making for a slightly of beat rhythm. “There's no way they could know who'd pick up the distress call.”
“Unless they don't care.” Jack knows that's not likely, but he's seen and heard a lot of unlike things in his life.
“Assume the worse, hope for the best,” Celesti says with some amusement. “I want people who know which end of a gun is which to go over in the first group, just in case. You want in?”
“Wouldn't miss it.” If there's going to be trouble, Jack wants to know what's going on, and be in a position to stop it.
“Guess we're not going know any more until we dock with the 'Star and get some readings,” Celesti says, checking the projected rendezvous time. “We've got a while until we get there, so do what you need to to get ready, and I'll give everybody a shout when we're ready to dock.”
Realising that Celesti is bringing their discussion to a close, Jack says, “I'll be waiting.” Then heads back to his room.
: "Part 3.">