Fic: Not in Kansas Anymore (6/23)
Title: Not in Kansas Anymore (6/23)
Fandom: Stargate/Star Wars
Rating: M
Genres: crossover, romance
Summary: When Laura Cadman and Evan Lorne woke up in a storage room, they never thought it would be in a galaxy far, far away. And now they need to find a way back home, past Special Operations agents and stormtroopers, between the fronts in a war they thought they knew (from television, mind you). But no one ever said it would be easy.
A/N: Oops. Still need to finish posting the Big Bang fic. Let's... do it, then. One chapter at a time *coughs. Also, what happened to starwars_fic? Is there still a moderation queue? Will I ever be able to post anything there again? Questions over questions... Also, am still promoting yappichick's fanart! And please don't forget to claim a day in my Holiday Fic Request meme (because otherwise mackenziesmomma will have claimed them all)!
( Not in Kansas Anymore 1/23 )
( Not in Kansas Anymore 2/23 )
( Not in Kansas Anymore 3/23 )
( Not in Kansas Anymore 4/23 )
( Not in Kansas Anymore 5/23 )
Six
She’s not quite sure what made her realize she was waking up first: the low steady beeping that sounds suspiciously like a heart monitor or the low humming that sounds suspiciously like a starship drive. However, it’s not really important anyway. What is important, though, is that she find out where the hell she is now. Because the last thing she remembers before blacking out was being in a cave instead of a starship… and alternately freezing her ass off and feeling like she were in a desert, in the middle of the day.
So ignoring the last lingering remnants of a headache and the wish to simply turn around and go back to sleep, she carefully cracks her eyes open. The first thing she sees is… ceiling. Hanging about 20 inches above her head. What… okay, maybe turning her head. Ah, right. The muzzle of a blaster. Nothing new there.
Her guard, however… did he fall asleep? Oh good Heavens. That’s probably the worst Special Forces soldier she ever encountered. For a moment she’s debating whether to wake him or not but then she decides that she’s fed up with the dry feeling in her mouth and rolling her eyes she clears her throat. And then… nothing happens. She’s about to lift her hands to rap on the ceiling above her but… well, they’re bound. Yeah, that was to be expected. And she’s still thirsty.
Rolling her eyes again, she calls out, “Hey, Sleeping Beauty!”
The man jerks awake and… well, at least he neither loses the blaster nor does he accidentally shoot her with it. Well, that didn’t go so bad then, did it? “Oh… you’re awake.” Yes, Captain Obvious, I am, she wants to say but wisely keeps her mouth shut, seeing as she’s still the prisoner here.
However… that’s the only thing he says so she feels compelled to say, “Yeah, I very obviously am. And I’m fucking thirsty.” Oops. But she really is fucking thirsty.
“That’s a common side effect of bacta injections,” the man - now that she could take a closer look she doesn’t place him above 25 in age - says with confidence. The kind of confidence that can be broken with simply lifting an eyebrow in the right way. “At least that’s what… the team medic said when she gave you one.”
“Did she also tell you not to allow me to drink?” This is almost too easy, she thinks. There has to be a catch somewhere here.
“No. No one actually forbade me to give you something to drink.” Uh-huh.
“Well then… why don’t you find something to drink and give it to me?” And it’s starting to get ridiculous. She’ll eat her dog tags if that guy really is a Special Forces soldier.
Well. And she shouldn’t have thought of dog tags because that just served to remind her of the fact that she’s carrying around another person’s dog tags. A person she’d like to beat the shit out of right now because how dare he do that?
Alright, soldier, calm down. This will get you nowhere and besides, he’d likely beat the shit out of you. “I’m under orders not to assist you in any way.” Oh, just great. Her superior probably got himself killed for them and she isn't even allowed to have a fucking glass of fucking water.
“Listen boy if I don’t get a fucking glass of water right fucking now I’m gonna fetch it myself. Got me?” Okay. She’s probably losing it. Because she could have sworn she just felt someone give her a slap on the back of her head. Actually, she could have sworn that it was Lorne who gave her that slap.
And anyway, Guard Man is her priority right now. Because his face just became a dangerous shade of red and he grits out, “My name is First Lieutenant Celran Darkkin and I’m a member of the Rebel Corps of Engineers and you are… you are…”
“Not supposed to know that?” Oh God, do not laugh now, she scolds herself because she’s pretty sure that First Lieutenant Celran Darkkin of the Rebel Corps of Engineers would die of shame, then. Giving your name away to a possible enemy POW… not a really smart move. And from the now rather embarrassing shade of pink his face turned into, she can see that he wasn’t doing it on purpose. No one can fake cheeks this pink.
A little desperate to get his decorum back, he clears his throat. “I think… I think I’ll need to report to my superior now.”
Yes, he really should do that. Seeing as she could probably have overpowered him pretty easily in the last couple of minutes, even with her hands bound, if she’d wanted to. Major Lorne taught her that.
But he also taught her to bide her time and be patient, if the situation demands it. Granted, more often than not she’d totally flunked that part of training, even with Lorne but contrary to what he probably thought of her, she’s still capable of listening to lessons when she really needs to.
So she simply keeps lying down, listening to Darkkin speaking into his radio… communication device… whatever in a low voice. She doesn’t catch all of it but she did catch him saying “The prisoner is awake, ma’am,” and if she’s honest, that really does make her curious. Is he talking to Doggie Girl? Someone else? And, most importantly, will they shoot her now or wait with it long enough that she can explain to them who she is and why she needs them to help her find her superior?
She isn't quite sure how to accomplish that without them thinking her completely nuts but she’s pretty confident she’ll manage it in the end. Her power of persuasion was always considerable. Really, it was. Even when she didn’t have a fire arm to make her point with her.
Now, however, her biggest weapon is probably patience so she tries to bring up all of it that she has while Darkkin has resumed pointing his blaster at her. At least it’s the right one, she can’t help thinking but then reminds herself that even combat engies are smart enough for that. Or at least should be. Anyway… she’s still thirsty and she’d really love to get rid of that starchy feeling in her mouth and if they’re the good guys surely a glass of water for a POW isn’t asked too much. “So, did they forbid you now to provide me with fluids?”
He eyes her again… and then, finally, turns around and since she’s still lying down, she can’t see where he turns but a moment later he’s holding something that looks like a bottle of some sorts in his hand when he turns back to her. She’s about to ask him how she’s supposed to drink this in her current position but he seems to have some brains in his head after all because he says, “You may… sit up,” not really finding the right tone between haughty, generous and contrite.
Fighting against the temptation to sigh and roll her eyes again, she actually manages to bring herself in a sitting position, albeit hunched over. But at least it’s upright enough that she can take the bottle from Darkkin’s hand - he even uncapped it for her and she’s starting to wonder what a nice boy like him is doing among a couple of hardnosed Special Forces grunts, obviously trying to infiltrate an Imperial base - and take a nice long swig from even. And because it’s liquid and reasonably able to wash the starchiness out of her mouth, she’s mostly able to ignore the stale taste.
And the second slap to the back of her head because well, that could have been drugged or even poisoned and she simply accepted it. She’ll probably never be able to look at Lorne without remembering the feeling of not being sure if she isn't losing it because of imaginary slaps to the back of her head from him again. Provided, she actually manages to find him but again… not something she wants to think about too closely now. She’s got other issues to solve before attempting that.
When she’s done with drinking, she tries to give Darkkin an at least passably friendly smile and says, “Thank you.”
To her surprise, he manages to smile back, looking a little… shy? “You’re… you’re welcome, Miss…”
“First Lieutenant Laura Cadman,” she says because she thinks he deserved that for not being an ass about giving her something to drink even though he tried it, probably to impress those SF guys he somehow must have ended up with, and because it’s only fair.
It also manages to surprise Darkkin enough that he loses another bit of professional paranoia he tried to hold up so hard. “You’re a soldier?” She nods. Yeah, pretty obvious, isn't it? “Which unit?”
It occurs to her that this could all be part of the game and Darkkin’s just here to interrogate her. But then again… there’s nothing of importance for them or anyone else in this universe except Major Lorne that she could tell them. She shrugs. “EOD. You?”
If she keeps him talking about units and stuff, she thinks, maybe it’ll keep him from asking which forces she belongs to. “Construction.” And so far, it seems to be working.
“So you build the things my guys like to blow up?” she asks grinning and it does elicit a slight grin from him, too. Yeah, she knew he’d love that, right from the moment he said “Rebel Corps of Engineers” and she starts to hope that maybe she’s actually about to make a friend because that would be good news… seeing as she’s in very dire need of them, since the only person halfway akin to a friend she had here decided to face a potentially life threatening situation all on his own.
Darkkin’s about to say something - from the look of it, he maybe even was about to quip something - but the door to her left suddenly hisses open and reveals… the guy who just won’t stop calling her a “karking Imp”. Oh joy. “Getting friendly with an Imp, greenie? Don’t think Boss is gonna like that,” he sneers and she instantly hates him. Well, again.
“It’s still Lieutenant Darkkin or sir to you, Specialist.” Ouch. And she feels a newfound respect for Darkkin coming up, seeing as despite being obviously rather on the brainy than on the brawny side of soldiering usually, he knows how to hold his own. And how to demand his due as an officer.
The Specialist, however, scowls at him and grinds out, “Boss wants to see the prisoner, sir.”
The Lieutenant simply nods, obviously trying not to let the Specialist’s insolence get to him. She’s actually impressed by how well he holds himself. If she were in his stead, she’d have long blasted the Specialist’s ass into next week. And not just figuratively. Actually, she might do it if she gets to it, after all. “Fine. I’ll take her.”
That earns Darkkin a sneer. Jesus. “Actually, Boss said she wants me to…”
“I will take the prisoner to see the Captain.” Doggie Girl is a Captain? Alright… “That is final, Specialist.” Go get him tiger, she wants to encourage Dakkin, but it looks like he doesn’t need her to, since after a moment of staring at each other, the Specialist backs down.
“She wants to see you in the briefing room,” he says before he leaves the room, probably deliberately leaving out the sir. When he has vanished back into the depth of the ship, she can visibly see Darkkin shrink back for a moment, looking both relieved and kind of exhausted.
She can’t help clearing her throat. “Hey, uh… for what it’s worth… he wouldn’t be my best bud, either.”
That prompts Darkkin to give her a rueful grin that tells her more than anything that he’s not a regular part of this unit and instinctively, she realizes that if she really wants to gain these people’s trust, he’s her first gateway, even despite being a bit of an outsider. “Specialist Tarles and I are… indeed not the best of friends. I guess it comes with the territory of him being from a rather military inclined world and me coming from Alderaan.” Alderaan… oh, she knows that one. It’s the one that… oh, crap. Damn, she really needs to find out how close this Star Wars universe is to the one she knows. And where in the timeline they currently are. “Anyway… let’s go meet Boss.”
Ah. So… he probably didn’t notice her reaction at hearing that he’s from Alderaan. Well, that’s good for her, isn't it? And well, it’s not really important, anyway, because he put the handcuffs back around her wrists - with a kind of apologetic grin - and starts leading her out of the room, into a rather dark corridor. And because she thinks keeping him talking is her best bet at trying to get her into his good graces, she says, “So… that boss of yours… she got a name or anything?”
“Boss,” Darkkin says and she raises her eyebrows. Huh? “That’s… her name, actually. Or at least that’s what everyone keeps calling her. I know she’s a Captain but nothing about her real name or anything. Not a talkative lot, those Special Ops types.”
Yeah, I bet, she thinks, briefly thinking about all those Special Ops types she knows. Sheppard first and foremost. Lorne… Lorne’s not Special Ops as far as she knows, but sometimes she thinks he could be as well, seeing as how guarded he always seems to be around everyone. Okay, actually, not always because she knows he’s got a good sense of humor and… and that’s not the point here. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
“You know any of them?” Darkkin immediately says, sounding a little surprised and not for the first time she wonders if he’s the good cop and if he is who’s going to be bad one. She kind of hopes it’s not Doggie Girl.
She tries to shrug nonchalantly, desperately trying to find a way to be as non-committing as possible. “Used to, anyway.” And that isn't that far off from the truth. A couple of those Special Ops guys she got to know on Atlantis and in the SGC really either went to serve in other units or don’t serve anymore or are dead. Most of them actually are. Dead, that is.
For a moment, they’re silent and then Darkkin stops, at a crossing. “I’d ask you now where the kark you’re serving and who you actually are but I guess Boss wouldn’t like it if I did her job for her.” Right. That… was to be expected. “Briefing room’s down the corridor. I’ll take you to her and then leave again.” And then she must have made some weird face, because he actually grins and adds, “Don’t worry. Shistavanen who bark don’t bite. Boss’s not the one you need to be afraid of here.”
Oh really, she thinks, if Doggie Girl isn't… then who is? She’s tempted to actually ask that but he doesn’t give her time because suddenly, they’re in a room sporting a round table in a booth, with a bench half surrounding it, several screens opposite it hoisted up on the bare steel gray walls… an a big hulking Shistavanen female, looking like she’s just waiting to devour some big-mouthed red-headed human Lieutenant. Darkkin, next to her, reports to Doggie Girl and then is gone faster than she can blink, or at least that’s what it feels like. Coward, she thinks but tries to concentrate on not shrinking back when Doggie Girl takes a few steps towards her.
“Alright, BUG, I’m gonna ask you a couple of simple questions and I want some simple answers to them. We don’t have much time because we’ll soon rendezvous with our carrier so try to keep them short, too. Got me?” Do not swallow before answering, she sharply reminds herself.
So straightening up herself, she simply says, “Yes, ma’am.”
There’s an unreadable expression in Doggie Girl’s face, a raising of her jowls that looks terrifying but hopefully simply means slight irritation. “Good. So, who are you, who are you working for and why were you in that Imp compound?”
Right, she thinks, piece of cake. She can do this. “First Lieutenant Laura Cadman, can’t tell you, can tell you that even less.”
She half awaits a blow or some other form of physical violence but all Doggie Girl does is giving her a deep, low growl that’s probably more frightening than any violence could have been. “First Lieutenant Laura Cadman, that’s not what I call simple answers. Try again.”
Right. She grits her teeth. “I can’t tell you that because you wouldn’t believe me. Trust me on this. Ma’am.”
“Wrong again, Lieutenant. I’m starting to lose my patience. Who are you working for and who was that guy in the compound with you?” Trying very hard not to be intimidated by Doggie Girl’s antics, she still keeps her back ramrod straight.
“I can’t tell you and Major Evan Lorne, my superior.” My superior who saved your fucking ass and could be dead at the hands of some fucking space Nazis, just so you could get away, because some stupid hunch told him to do that, she wants to add but is wise enough to keep it to herself. For now.
“Unit, subdivision, branch. Right karking now, Lieutenant.” Well, at least Doggie Girl doesn’t waste any time with unnecessary words. That’s a quality she rather appreciates in officers, she has to say.
However, it won’t make her answer the questions anymore willingly. “You wouldn’t believe me anyway. And I’m not gonna make up anything because you’d probably just have me shot for it.” Defiantly, she raises her chin and…
And Doggie Girl looks as if she’s… grinning? Is that it? Is that overgrown Alsatian grinning at her? What the… “Boss, we’re going to rendezvous with the Fervor in 10. Recommend strapping yourself in, Daka’s in a foul mood. Those Interceptors clipped one of the Folly’s wings a bit too close,” a female voice suddenly sounds into the room probably over an intercom. It doesn’t… make things any less complicated, actually, because it means there’s just another player on the field.
Also, Doggie Girl doesn’t seem to be too happy, since there’s that growl again, before she says, “Copy, Commander. Have you reached Control yet?”
“Sure did, Boss. They’ll be waiting for you in our part of the bay.” For some reason… the fact that the Commander sounds pretty much pissed off herself doesn’t make it any better.
Or maybe it’s rather the way Doggie Girl looks at her after she acknowledged the Commander again. Like… she’s on the prowl now. And rather unhappy about their little chat having been broken up. “We’re not finished, Lieutenant. Not by a long shot.”
“I rather imagined we weren’t,” she can’t help muttering and the sudden shudder going through the ship probably just having announced crossing a starship landing bay’s force field does shake her up more than she’d like to admit, too.
~*~
To be continued in Chapter 7.
Fandom: Stargate/Star Wars
Rating: M
Genres: crossover, romance
Summary: When Laura Cadman and Evan Lorne woke up in a storage room, they never thought it would be in a galaxy far, far away. And now they need to find a way back home, past Special Operations agents and stormtroopers, between the fronts in a war they thought they knew (from television, mind you). But no one ever said it would be easy.
A/N: Oops. Still need to finish posting the Big Bang fic. Let's... do it, then. One chapter at a time *coughs. Also, what happened to starwars_fic? Is there still a moderation queue? Will I ever be able to post anything there again? Questions over questions... Also, am still promoting yappichick's fanart! And please don't forget to claim a day in my Holiday Fic Request meme (because otherwise mackenziesmomma will have claimed them all)!
( Not in Kansas Anymore 1/23 )
( Not in Kansas Anymore 2/23 )
( Not in Kansas Anymore 3/23 )
( Not in Kansas Anymore 4/23 )
( Not in Kansas Anymore 5/23 )
Six
She’s not quite sure what made her realize she was waking up first: the low steady beeping that sounds suspiciously like a heart monitor or the low humming that sounds suspiciously like a starship drive. However, it’s not really important anyway. What is important, though, is that she find out where the hell she is now. Because the last thing she remembers before blacking out was being in a cave instead of a starship… and alternately freezing her ass off and feeling like she were in a desert, in the middle of the day.
So ignoring the last lingering remnants of a headache and the wish to simply turn around and go back to sleep, she carefully cracks her eyes open. The first thing she sees is… ceiling. Hanging about 20 inches above her head. What… okay, maybe turning her head. Ah, right. The muzzle of a blaster. Nothing new there.
Her guard, however… did he fall asleep? Oh good Heavens. That’s probably the worst Special Forces soldier she ever encountered. For a moment she’s debating whether to wake him or not but then she decides that she’s fed up with the dry feeling in her mouth and rolling her eyes she clears her throat. And then… nothing happens. She’s about to lift her hands to rap on the ceiling above her but… well, they’re bound. Yeah, that was to be expected. And she’s still thirsty.
Rolling her eyes again, she calls out, “Hey, Sleeping Beauty!”
The man jerks awake and… well, at least he neither loses the blaster nor does he accidentally shoot her with it. Well, that didn’t go so bad then, did it? “Oh… you’re awake.” Yes, Captain Obvious, I am, she wants to say but wisely keeps her mouth shut, seeing as she’s still the prisoner here.
However… that’s the only thing he says so she feels compelled to say, “Yeah, I very obviously am. And I’m fucking thirsty.” Oops. But she really is fucking thirsty.
“That’s a common side effect of bacta injections,” the man - now that she could take a closer look she doesn’t place him above 25 in age - says with confidence. The kind of confidence that can be broken with simply lifting an eyebrow in the right way. “At least that’s what… the team medic said when she gave you one.”
“Did she also tell you not to allow me to drink?” This is almost too easy, she thinks. There has to be a catch somewhere here.
“No. No one actually forbade me to give you something to drink.” Uh-huh.
“Well then… why don’t you find something to drink and give it to me?” And it’s starting to get ridiculous. She’ll eat her dog tags if that guy really is a Special Forces soldier.
Well. And she shouldn’t have thought of dog tags because that just served to remind her of the fact that she’s carrying around another person’s dog tags. A person she’d like to beat the shit out of right now because how dare he do that?
Alright, soldier, calm down. This will get you nowhere and besides, he’d likely beat the shit out of you. “I’m under orders not to assist you in any way.” Oh, just great. Her superior probably got himself killed for them and she isn't even allowed to have a fucking glass of fucking water.
“Listen boy if I don’t get a fucking glass of water right fucking now I’m gonna fetch it myself. Got me?” Okay. She’s probably losing it. Because she could have sworn she just felt someone give her a slap on the back of her head. Actually, she could have sworn that it was Lorne who gave her that slap.
And anyway, Guard Man is her priority right now. Because his face just became a dangerous shade of red and he grits out, “My name is First Lieutenant Celran Darkkin and I’m a member of the Rebel Corps of Engineers and you are… you are…”
“Not supposed to know that?” Oh God, do not laugh now, she scolds herself because she’s pretty sure that First Lieutenant Celran Darkkin of the Rebel Corps of Engineers would die of shame, then. Giving your name away to a possible enemy POW… not a really smart move. And from the now rather embarrassing shade of pink his face turned into, she can see that he wasn’t doing it on purpose. No one can fake cheeks this pink.
A little desperate to get his decorum back, he clears his throat. “I think… I think I’ll need to report to my superior now.”
Yes, he really should do that. Seeing as she could probably have overpowered him pretty easily in the last couple of minutes, even with her hands bound, if she’d wanted to. Major Lorne taught her that.
But he also taught her to bide her time and be patient, if the situation demands it. Granted, more often than not she’d totally flunked that part of training, even with Lorne but contrary to what he probably thought of her, she’s still capable of listening to lessons when she really needs to.
So she simply keeps lying down, listening to Darkkin speaking into his radio… communication device… whatever in a low voice. She doesn’t catch all of it but she did catch him saying “The prisoner is awake, ma’am,” and if she’s honest, that really does make her curious. Is he talking to Doggie Girl? Someone else? And, most importantly, will they shoot her now or wait with it long enough that she can explain to them who she is and why she needs them to help her find her superior?
She isn't quite sure how to accomplish that without them thinking her completely nuts but she’s pretty confident she’ll manage it in the end. Her power of persuasion was always considerable. Really, it was. Even when she didn’t have a fire arm to make her point with her.
Now, however, her biggest weapon is probably patience so she tries to bring up all of it that she has while Darkkin has resumed pointing his blaster at her. At least it’s the right one, she can’t help thinking but then reminds herself that even combat engies are smart enough for that. Or at least should be. Anyway… she’s still thirsty and she’d really love to get rid of that starchy feeling in her mouth and if they’re the good guys surely a glass of water for a POW isn’t asked too much. “So, did they forbid you now to provide me with fluids?”
He eyes her again… and then, finally, turns around and since she’s still lying down, she can’t see where he turns but a moment later he’s holding something that looks like a bottle of some sorts in his hand when he turns back to her. She’s about to ask him how she’s supposed to drink this in her current position but he seems to have some brains in his head after all because he says, “You may… sit up,” not really finding the right tone between haughty, generous and contrite.
Fighting against the temptation to sigh and roll her eyes again, she actually manages to bring herself in a sitting position, albeit hunched over. But at least it’s upright enough that she can take the bottle from Darkkin’s hand - he even uncapped it for her and she’s starting to wonder what a nice boy like him is doing among a couple of hardnosed Special Forces grunts, obviously trying to infiltrate an Imperial base - and take a nice long swig from even. And because it’s liquid and reasonably able to wash the starchiness out of her mouth, she’s mostly able to ignore the stale taste.
And the second slap to the back of her head because well, that could have been drugged or even poisoned and she simply accepted it. She’ll probably never be able to look at Lorne without remembering the feeling of not being sure if she isn't losing it because of imaginary slaps to the back of her head from him again. Provided, she actually manages to find him but again… not something she wants to think about too closely now. She’s got other issues to solve before attempting that.
When she’s done with drinking, she tries to give Darkkin an at least passably friendly smile and says, “Thank you.”
To her surprise, he manages to smile back, looking a little… shy? “You’re… you’re welcome, Miss…”
“First Lieutenant Laura Cadman,” she says because she thinks he deserved that for not being an ass about giving her something to drink even though he tried it, probably to impress those SF guys he somehow must have ended up with, and because it’s only fair.
It also manages to surprise Darkkin enough that he loses another bit of professional paranoia he tried to hold up so hard. “You’re a soldier?” She nods. Yeah, pretty obvious, isn't it? “Which unit?”
It occurs to her that this could all be part of the game and Darkkin’s just here to interrogate her. But then again… there’s nothing of importance for them or anyone else in this universe except Major Lorne that she could tell them. She shrugs. “EOD. You?”
If she keeps him talking about units and stuff, she thinks, maybe it’ll keep him from asking which forces she belongs to. “Construction.” And so far, it seems to be working.
“So you build the things my guys like to blow up?” she asks grinning and it does elicit a slight grin from him, too. Yeah, she knew he’d love that, right from the moment he said “Rebel Corps of Engineers” and she starts to hope that maybe she’s actually about to make a friend because that would be good news… seeing as she’s in very dire need of them, since the only person halfway akin to a friend she had here decided to face a potentially life threatening situation all on his own.
Darkkin’s about to say something - from the look of it, he maybe even was about to quip something - but the door to her left suddenly hisses open and reveals… the guy who just won’t stop calling her a “karking Imp”. Oh joy. “Getting friendly with an Imp, greenie? Don’t think Boss is gonna like that,” he sneers and she instantly hates him. Well, again.
“It’s still Lieutenant Darkkin or sir to you, Specialist.” Ouch. And she feels a newfound respect for Darkkin coming up, seeing as despite being obviously rather on the brainy than on the brawny side of soldiering usually, he knows how to hold his own. And how to demand his due as an officer.
The Specialist, however, scowls at him and grinds out, “Boss wants to see the prisoner, sir.”
The Lieutenant simply nods, obviously trying not to let the Specialist’s insolence get to him. She’s actually impressed by how well he holds himself. If she were in his stead, she’d have long blasted the Specialist’s ass into next week. And not just figuratively. Actually, she might do it if she gets to it, after all. “Fine. I’ll take her.”
That earns Darkkin a sneer. Jesus. “Actually, Boss said she wants me to…”
“I will take the prisoner to see the Captain.” Doggie Girl is a Captain? Alright… “That is final, Specialist.” Go get him tiger, she wants to encourage Dakkin, but it looks like he doesn’t need her to, since after a moment of staring at each other, the Specialist backs down.
“She wants to see you in the briefing room,” he says before he leaves the room, probably deliberately leaving out the sir. When he has vanished back into the depth of the ship, she can visibly see Darkkin shrink back for a moment, looking both relieved and kind of exhausted.
She can’t help clearing her throat. “Hey, uh… for what it’s worth… he wouldn’t be my best bud, either.”
That prompts Darkkin to give her a rueful grin that tells her more than anything that he’s not a regular part of this unit and instinctively, she realizes that if she really wants to gain these people’s trust, he’s her first gateway, even despite being a bit of an outsider. “Specialist Tarles and I are… indeed not the best of friends. I guess it comes with the territory of him being from a rather military inclined world and me coming from Alderaan.” Alderaan… oh, she knows that one. It’s the one that… oh, crap. Damn, she really needs to find out how close this Star Wars universe is to the one she knows. And where in the timeline they currently are. “Anyway… let’s go meet Boss.”
Ah. So… he probably didn’t notice her reaction at hearing that he’s from Alderaan. Well, that’s good for her, isn't it? And well, it’s not really important, anyway, because he put the handcuffs back around her wrists - with a kind of apologetic grin - and starts leading her out of the room, into a rather dark corridor. And because she thinks keeping him talking is her best bet at trying to get her into his good graces, she says, “So… that boss of yours… she got a name or anything?”
“Boss,” Darkkin says and she raises her eyebrows. Huh? “That’s… her name, actually. Or at least that’s what everyone keeps calling her. I know she’s a Captain but nothing about her real name or anything. Not a talkative lot, those Special Ops types.”
Yeah, I bet, she thinks, briefly thinking about all those Special Ops types she knows. Sheppard first and foremost. Lorne… Lorne’s not Special Ops as far as she knows, but sometimes she thinks he could be as well, seeing as how guarded he always seems to be around everyone. Okay, actually, not always because she knows he’s got a good sense of humor and… and that’s not the point here. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
“You know any of them?” Darkkin immediately says, sounding a little surprised and not for the first time she wonders if he’s the good cop and if he is who’s going to be bad one. She kind of hopes it’s not Doggie Girl.
She tries to shrug nonchalantly, desperately trying to find a way to be as non-committing as possible. “Used to, anyway.” And that isn't that far off from the truth. A couple of those Special Ops guys she got to know on Atlantis and in the SGC really either went to serve in other units or don’t serve anymore or are dead. Most of them actually are. Dead, that is.
For a moment, they’re silent and then Darkkin stops, at a crossing. “I’d ask you now where the kark you’re serving and who you actually are but I guess Boss wouldn’t like it if I did her job for her.” Right. That… was to be expected. “Briefing room’s down the corridor. I’ll take you to her and then leave again.” And then she must have made some weird face, because he actually grins and adds, “Don’t worry. Shistavanen who bark don’t bite. Boss’s not the one you need to be afraid of here.”
Oh really, she thinks, if Doggie Girl isn't… then who is? She’s tempted to actually ask that but he doesn’t give her time because suddenly, they’re in a room sporting a round table in a booth, with a bench half surrounding it, several screens opposite it hoisted up on the bare steel gray walls… an a big hulking Shistavanen female, looking like she’s just waiting to devour some big-mouthed red-headed human Lieutenant. Darkkin, next to her, reports to Doggie Girl and then is gone faster than she can blink, or at least that’s what it feels like. Coward, she thinks but tries to concentrate on not shrinking back when Doggie Girl takes a few steps towards her.
“Alright, BUG, I’m gonna ask you a couple of simple questions and I want some simple answers to them. We don’t have much time because we’ll soon rendezvous with our carrier so try to keep them short, too. Got me?” Do not swallow before answering, she sharply reminds herself.
So straightening up herself, she simply says, “Yes, ma’am.”
There’s an unreadable expression in Doggie Girl’s face, a raising of her jowls that looks terrifying but hopefully simply means slight irritation. “Good. So, who are you, who are you working for and why were you in that Imp compound?”
Right, she thinks, piece of cake. She can do this. “First Lieutenant Laura Cadman, can’t tell you, can tell you that even less.”
She half awaits a blow or some other form of physical violence but all Doggie Girl does is giving her a deep, low growl that’s probably more frightening than any violence could have been. “First Lieutenant Laura Cadman, that’s not what I call simple answers. Try again.”
Right. She grits her teeth. “I can’t tell you that because you wouldn’t believe me. Trust me on this. Ma’am.”
“Wrong again, Lieutenant. I’m starting to lose my patience. Who are you working for and who was that guy in the compound with you?” Trying very hard not to be intimidated by Doggie Girl’s antics, she still keeps her back ramrod straight.
“I can’t tell you and Major Evan Lorne, my superior.” My superior who saved your fucking ass and could be dead at the hands of some fucking space Nazis, just so you could get away, because some stupid hunch told him to do that, she wants to add but is wise enough to keep it to herself. For now.
“Unit, subdivision, branch. Right karking now, Lieutenant.” Well, at least Doggie Girl doesn’t waste any time with unnecessary words. That’s a quality she rather appreciates in officers, she has to say.
However, it won’t make her answer the questions anymore willingly. “You wouldn’t believe me anyway. And I’m not gonna make up anything because you’d probably just have me shot for it.” Defiantly, she raises her chin and…
And Doggie Girl looks as if she’s… grinning? Is that it? Is that overgrown Alsatian grinning at her? What the… “Boss, we’re going to rendezvous with the Fervor in 10. Recommend strapping yourself in, Daka’s in a foul mood. Those Interceptors clipped one of the Folly’s wings a bit too close,” a female voice suddenly sounds into the room probably over an intercom. It doesn’t… make things any less complicated, actually, because it means there’s just another player on the field.
Also, Doggie Girl doesn’t seem to be too happy, since there’s that growl again, before she says, “Copy, Commander. Have you reached Control yet?”
“Sure did, Boss. They’ll be waiting for you in our part of the bay.” For some reason… the fact that the Commander sounds pretty much pissed off herself doesn’t make it any better.
Or maybe it’s rather the way Doggie Girl looks at her after she acknowledged the Commander again. Like… she’s on the prowl now. And rather unhappy about their little chat having been broken up. “We’re not finished, Lieutenant. Not by a long shot.”
“I rather imagined we weren’t,” she can’t help muttering and the sudden shudder going through the ship probably just having announced crossing a starship landing bay’s force field does shake her up more than she’d like to admit, too.
~*~
To be continued in Chapter 7.