10
"Banking Captain" Gwen called softly as the vessel took a dive to starboard and they waited to feel anything then Jack nodded with satisfaction as the onboard stabilisers showed they were in top condition, not even a tremor as the gravity shifted and adjusted to keep them comfortable onboard. Those down below in the belly of the vessel will have thought this a simulated drill, having felt nothing.
"Thank you Mainframe" Ianto called out calmly and the red lights to signal an emergency died away turning the bridge back to daytime running lights.
Gwen swung to glare at him, "I believe that was my place to call that one in."
Ianto looked at her with surprise as did other crew members, Jack turning his chair to face her, "Ms Cooper, Ianto is FO. It was his place to give an order from my right hand."
"Well, I think this is something that needs to be discussed. We still haven't had a Citizen Meeting and I think that might…"
"What are you up to" Ianto demanded, "What have you done! Perhaps we need to take this to the Ready Room instead of in the open?"
"What do you mean? You speak to me in front of witnesses" she spluttered as Jack frowned.
"Ian…Mister Jones, what is going in?" Jack asked. "What do you know?"
"There have been rumblings the last few days, the Engine Room tells me some are being encouraged to push for a vote of human only crew" Ianto said angrily, "Mainframe is also aware of a growing faction of Humans for Humanity on board, the very terrorists we thought we were leaving behind. Gwen? Care to explain why I have been told you attended one of their meetings last night?"
Jack looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Well?"
"I was curious, had heard the rumours and wanted to see for myself. I thought that if the rumours were true I could bring it to your attention but all I found were families wanting some sort of cohesive comfort in their own kind. This is not a terrorist cell and I resent the fact Mister Jones is making an uninformed decision by labelling us as such." She said with a calm voice even as her hands clasped together to mask their shaking.
She was caught.
She knew she was caught.
But she had something the blue blooded arsehole didn't. The ability to lie and she drew herself up now as she regarded him, "Anyway, your brother-in-law was there too. Strange for someone with a blue blooded wife, eh? And the mixed blood tainted spawn?"
Ianto sucked his cheeks in as some on the bridge openly gasped, one moving fast to step between them, "Take that back!"
"Excuse me? Gwen bristled.
"I am of mixed blood, my mother was Sol3 Japanese, my father was Dragone" Tosh snarled, "You take back that racial slur. That has been outlawed!"
"In case you've not noticed, this is not Sol 3" Gwen snorted then a throat clearing reminded her that she was in the wrong place for such shows of dominance.
"You see Sir?" she simpered to Jack, "This is the fraction forming within the crew, them against us."
Jack sung in the chair for a few moments as he considered and Ianto silently bristled, then Jack said quietly, "Ms Cooper are you aware that I am not of Sol 3? Did you not know I am Boeshanninan?"
Gwen blanched before she could stop herself.
"This vessel is being piloted by two men who are Alien to Sol 3 even though we are both descendants of the said planet. My crew are now ex-Sol 3, all of them. All of us. We are a new species, a new civilisation all together. We have to stop thinking of ourselves as different breeds or cultures. We are all one people now. The people of Torchwood"
Ianto bowed to his captain and then turned to face the crew, "Are we all in agreement?"
"AYE!"
"Mainframe, please issue a shipside memo, from this moment forth we shall all refer to ourselves as …er…Torchwoods?" Ianto canted his head, "Torchies? Woodies? Maybe this should be tabled for the first official Citizen Meeting for ALL of us?"
Jack nodded as he agreed with the handling of the situation and turned back to his tablet signalling an end to the discussion as Toshiko bristled at Gwen some more and Ianto placed a hand on Tosh's petite shoulder, "Come along wee Dragone, I think she got the point. It might take time for some to come around but we have years….virtually years of cohabitation ahead of us so they will have to pull their heads out of their arses or be blown out of an airlock, after all we outnumber them three to one, right? Us impure mixed bloods? Spawn?"
Toshiko smiled sweetly at Gwen as she deflated, "Mister Jones is right, no need to fight about this after all we would win. No, we will wait for the meeting and all get some ground rules established."
"You bet we will" Gwen hissed.
"Oh and Ms Cooper?" Ianto called after her as she began to storm from the bridge, "You are relieved of your post, I did not hear the request … apologies."
Titters as she slammed from the bridge and Jack snorted.
"You know Mister Jones, you are stirring up a hornet's nest with that cheekiness" Jack said softly as Ianto settled back by the chair and Ianto leaned in as if looking at the tablet and Jack whispered to his FO "Thank you for the heads up, she has an agenda? Keep watch."
"Fire trumps hornets Captain and if Toshiko flames her we will have a mess on my floor"
Jack couldn't contain the chuckle.
So cheeky.
.
.
.
Those of you who follow me and know where I live ... the draught declared by my government has broken with torrential downpours resulting in severe flooding in my region. I assure you that i may be a bit waterlogged but i am OK. My family is fine and we shall endure.