[fic][dp] Tranquility Base, Where The Frown On My Face
Title: Tranquility Base, Where The Frown On My Face
Author: magistrate (draegonhawke )
Sliding Scale of Slash: Implied, Jack Harkness/Sam Tyler
Rating: T
Fandoms: Torchwood; Life on Mars; Final Fantasy XII, Google
Summary: Jack and Sam return to Earth. Sort of. At least to the Earth system.
On the way back to Earth from the Avatar's world, Balthier had had plenty of opportunities to recognize the signs of a burgeoning paradox and take the Strahl out of the Vortex to cool down. Sure, the time and place hadn't always been convenient - they'd been stuck playing cards in deep space once or twice - but given the choice between staring out at an unbroken starfield and getting torn apart by time dogs and reapers, the option was pretty clear. By the end of the trip, Balthier had generally managed to set them down before anyone noticed an air temperature drop.
Which meant that when the familiar cold press of a paradox started bearing down on them, Jack took it as an indication that things were going wrong.
Balthier had long since given up on trying to restrict Jack's access to the bridge, and didn't even look up when he jogged in to ask "What's going on? Why aren't we bailing?"
"After our last scheduled stop?" Balthier said. "I've reconsidered the wisdom of letting you go planetside ever again. That's not a problem, is it?"
Jack put on his best pout. "It was only a little altercation. -no, really; what's going on?"
"Take a look for yourself," Balthier said, flicking the chronometer with his fingernail. "We're in a bad neighborhood. Things are getting dicey."
Jack slipped into the copilot seat, leaned over the chronometer, and grinned. "You call this a bad neighborhood, I call it great," he said. "We're almost home. So I guess I'm still on Earth a few years up the line?"
"Are you trying to cause trouble?" Balthier asked. "I'm not telling you anything about your relative future. Especially not while we're already skirting a crisis point."
Jack shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying."
"You are a quite impossible creature," Balthier muttered. Then, at a more normal volume, "You said that there was only one date you absolutely had to be on Earth for, but your preference was several months earlier. As our time circuits are in perfect working order, we may as well deliver you to your time of preference."
"Great! Preferential time is preferential," Jack said, rubbing his hands together.
"We'll dock at Copernicus," Balthier said.
"Need any help?"
"Rough ride aside, I have it from here," Balthier said. "Go roust out Mr. Tyler and make ready to debark."
-
Sam was still in the cabin, casting uneasy glances at the shuttered-up porthole, when Jack bounded in. "So, there's good news and bad news," Jack said, before Sam had a chance to ask. "But only the good news really matters. We're almost home."
-
There wasn't much to pack.
They cleared out of the cabin with barely more than they'd brought into it - most of the difference being offworld knick-knacks, most of those being entirely Jack's fault. They headed up to the bridge, where Balthier caught them and led them to one of the starboard hatches. Fran was already at the controls.
"Your point of departure," Balthier said, and gestured toward the porthole.
A short, pressurized hall was inching forward outside, over a grey and pockmarked landscape. The dust of the lunar surface furrowed as it was disturbed, collecting in ridges against the eggshell wall of the first of a series of domes.
Jack stepped forward for a better look as the hall drogue's lips tried to form a seal with the complex. He inhaled.
"And we'll have no lewd comments from you," Balthier interrupted, before the air could be formed into a remark. "We had quite enough of those the last time."
"Oh, come on," Jack said. "You've hardly let me get away with anything this entire trip."
"That's because we're wise to you," Balthier said.
"What could I have possibly done to get you so wise you won't let me take a breath?"
"Really, Captain," Balthier said. "It might be more expedient to list the things you didn't."
Behind Jack, Sam chuckled. "I'm almost going to miss this place."
Jack shot him a look.
Sam didn't bother to act chastised. "What, someone who can control you? Besides. It is a better class of time travel than your wrist device seems to be."
Jack feigned affront. He doubted that Sam believed him.
"Anyway," Jack said, after a moment had passed and no one was moving to soothe his ego.
"Anyway," Balthier agreed, and the indicator light on their side of the hall blinked to blue. "It's been good having you aboard, Captain. Be sure to tell my younger self hello when you meet him. Mr. Tyler." He gave each of them a civil nod, and Fran opened the inner door.
Sam nodded back. "Thank you," he said. "For everything."
"It was our pleasure," Balthier said, and Fran stepped away from the controls and gave him a regal nod.
"Fair journey."
Sam headed into the hall.
Jack hung back, looking over Balthier and Fran. "Thanks again. You've both been great."
"Mrr. Tima," Fran said, and Jack paused. "One thing."
"Fran," Balthier murmured. Fran looked at him, and another bit of the conversation fell into the cracks between them.
"Timarottu," Fran said, the pet name rolling smooth off her lips. "Your friend."
Jack glanced back toward the airlock passage, and lowered his voice. "What about him?"
"Be conscious of him," Fran said. "Your road ahead is perilous and there are many ways to lose sight of those you value."
Okay. Cryptic. Jack frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I have spoken." inclined her head. "Fare well until we meet again."
"And don't forget to write," Balthier said.
"...yeah," Jack said, enthusiasm somewhat dampened by the tone Fran had taken.
Nothing about this rang quite right, and even if he didn't sense danger from Balthier, Fran, and the other Captain Jack, he had the sneaking suspicion that-
Well, no. He knew they knew something he didn't. He had the sneaking suspicion that it was something catastrophic, and that if they'd just tell him he might be able to do something about it.
Or cause a paradox that would annihilate all life on whatever planet he happened to be on when he tried. That was the problem with paradoxes - one never quite knew how they'd react to tampering.
Of course, he didn't have much time to ponder it before Sam interrupted him, calling "Jack?" from the pressure hall.
"Coming," Jack called back, and looked at their hosts once more. Neither seemed inclined to explain anything. He wondered how much he'd understand by the time they met again.
After a moment, he turned and headed into the airlock.
"So where are we?" Sam asked.
"Copernicus," Jack said, as the door rolled shut behind him. "Mankind's first permanent outpost on the moon."
Sam looked at him, an odd expression settling over his features. "I really have missed a lot of history, haven't I?"
Jack shrugged. "It's history. My experience has been that it's usually waiting for you when you get back."
Sam made a small, amused noise, and gestured to the door. "Go on, then. Who built it? What for? Research station, I'm guessing - astronomy?"
"...not exactly," Jack said, and opened the second door. He made a grand gesture and they stepped out of the Strahl, and back into their proper flow of time.
Author: magistrate (draegonhawke )
Sliding Scale of Slash: Implied, Jack Harkness/Sam Tyler
Rating: T
Fandoms: Torchwood; Life on Mars; Final Fantasy XII, Google
Summary: Jack and Sam return to Earth. Sort of. At least to the Earth system.
On the way back to Earth from the Avatar's world, Balthier had had plenty of opportunities to recognize the signs of a burgeoning paradox and take the Strahl out of the Vortex to cool down. Sure, the time and place hadn't always been convenient - they'd been stuck playing cards in deep space once or twice - but given the choice between staring out at an unbroken starfield and getting torn apart by time dogs and reapers, the option was pretty clear. By the end of the trip, Balthier had generally managed to set them down before anyone noticed an air temperature drop.
Which meant that when the familiar cold press of a paradox started bearing down on them, Jack took it as an indication that things were going wrong.
Balthier had long since given up on trying to restrict Jack's access to the bridge, and didn't even look up when he jogged in to ask "What's going on? Why aren't we bailing?"
"After our last scheduled stop?" Balthier said. "I've reconsidered the wisdom of letting you go planetside ever again. That's not a problem, is it?"
Jack put on his best pout. "It was only a little altercation. -no, really; what's going on?"
"Take a look for yourself," Balthier said, flicking the chronometer with his fingernail. "We're in a bad neighborhood. Things are getting dicey."
Jack slipped into the copilot seat, leaned over the chronometer, and grinned. "You call this a bad neighborhood, I call it great," he said. "We're almost home. So I guess I'm still on Earth a few years up the line?"
"Are you trying to cause trouble?" Balthier asked. "I'm not telling you anything about your relative future. Especially not while we're already skirting a crisis point."
Jack shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying."
"You are a quite impossible creature," Balthier muttered. Then, at a more normal volume, "You said that there was only one date you absolutely had to be on Earth for, but your preference was several months earlier. As our time circuits are in perfect working order, we may as well deliver you to your time of preference."
"Great! Preferential time is preferential," Jack said, rubbing his hands together.
"We'll dock at Copernicus," Balthier said.
"Need any help?"
"Rough ride aside, I have it from here," Balthier said. "Go roust out Mr. Tyler and make ready to debark."
-
Sam was still in the cabin, casting uneasy glances at the shuttered-up porthole, when Jack bounded in. "So, there's good news and bad news," Jack said, before Sam had a chance to ask. "But only the good news really matters. We're almost home."
-
There wasn't much to pack.
They cleared out of the cabin with barely more than they'd brought into it - most of the difference being offworld knick-knacks, most of those being entirely Jack's fault. They headed up to the bridge, where Balthier caught them and led them to one of the starboard hatches. Fran was already at the controls.
"Your point of departure," Balthier said, and gestured toward the porthole.
A short, pressurized hall was inching forward outside, over a grey and pockmarked landscape. The dust of the lunar surface furrowed as it was disturbed, collecting in ridges against the eggshell wall of the first of a series of domes.
Jack stepped forward for a better look as the hall drogue's lips tried to form a seal with the complex. He inhaled.
"And we'll have no lewd comments from you," Balthier interrupted, before the air could be formed into a remark. "We had quite enough of those the last time."
"Oh, come on," Jack said. "You've hardly let me get away with anything this entire trip."
"That's because we're wise to you," Balthier said.
"What could I have possibly done to get you so wise you won't let me take a breath?"
"Really, Captain," Balthier said. "It might be more expedient to list the things you didn't."
Behind Jack, Sam chuckled. "I'm almost going to miss this place."
Jack shot him a look.
Sam didn't bother to act chastised. "What, someone who can control you? Besides. It is a better class of time travel than your wrist device seems to be."
Jack feigned affront. He doubted that Sam believed him.
"Anyway," Jack said, after a moment had passed and no one was moving to soothe his ego.
"Anyway," Balthier agreed, and the indicator light on their side of the hall blinked to blue. "It's been good having you aboard, Captain. Be sure to tell my younger self hello when you meet him. Mr. Tyler." He gave each of them a civil nod, and Fran opened the inner door.
Sam nodded back. "Thank you," he said. "For everything."
"It was our pleasure," Balthier said, and Fran stepped away from the controls and gave him a regal nod.
"Fair journey."
Sam headed into the hall.
Jack hung back, looking over Balthier and Fran. "Thanks again. You've both been great."
"Mrr. Tima," Fran said, and Jack paused. "One thing."
"Fran," Balthier murmured. Fran looked at him, and another bit of the conversation fell into the cracks between them.
"Timarottu," Fran said, the pet name rolling smooth off her lips. "Your friend."
Jack glanced back toward the airlock passage, and lowered his voice. "What about him?"
"Be conscious of him," Fran said. "Your road ahead is perilous and there are many ways to lose sight of those you value."
Okay. Cryptic. Jack frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I have spoken." inclined her head. "Fare well until we meet again."
"And don't forget to write," Balthier said.
"...yeah," Jack said, enthusiasm somewhat dampened by the tone Fran had taken.
Nothing about this rang quite right, and even if he didn't sense danger from Balthier, Fran, and the other Captain Jack, he had the sneaking suspicion that-
Well, no. He knew they knew something he didn't. He had the sneaking suspicion that it was something catastrophic, and that if they'd just tell him he might be able to do something about it.
Or cause a paradox that would annihilate all life on whatever planet he happened to be on when he tried. That was the problem with paradoxes - one never quite knew how they'd react to tampering.
Of course, he didn't have much time to ponder it before Sam interrupted him, calling "Jack?" from the pressure hall.
"Coming," Jack called back, and looked at their hosts once more. Neither seemed inclined to explain anything. He wondered how much he'd understand by the time they met again.
After a moment, he turned and headed into the airlock.
"So where are we?" Sam asked.
"Copernicus," Jack said, as the door rolled shut behind him. "Mankind's first permanent outpost on the moon."
Sam looked at him, an odd expression settling over his features. "I really have missed a lot of history, haven't I?"
Jack shrugged. "It's history. My experience has been that it's usually waiting for you when you get back."
Sam made a small, amused noise, and gestured to the door. "Go on, then. Who built it? What for? Research station, I'm guessing - astronomy?"
"...not exactly," Jack said, and opened the second door. He made a grand gesture and they stepped out of the Strahl, and back into their proper flow of time.