Section 17: Boom Ship
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What a mess, thought Jack. The floor was slick with pale blood and gore. It was more carnage than they were used to seeing fighting Jaffa and for all he'd seen, Jack still felt a little sympathetic pain.
Aeryn was kneeling on the floor next to the prisoner with D'argo standing over her shoulder. The incomprehensible talking that had been going on for the last ten minutes had finally stopped, the interrogation over. Stark appeared then, coming out of nowhere from the other end of the hallway. Jack and Teal'c watched as he took Aeryn's place by the dying man while she stepped back with her fellow warrior.
Jack moved to join them. "What's going on?" he asked just loud enough for the two of them to hear. It had been a boring wait for them to finish.
Both Aeryn and D'argo looked at him with eyes marked by sadness. "He's easing his passing into the next world," Aeryn replied, equally soft. She turned back to Stark who was lifting the mask that hid the right side of his face. A golden glow poured from his face to the murmuring of his words. The soldier stared at him wide-eyed at first but he slowly relaxed and then died with peace.
"He has passed on," Stark said in a strong voice that held none of the insecurity Jack associated with the man. He replaced the mask and refastened the clasp around his neck. Feather light fingers ghosted down the side of the soldier's face one last time before Stark rose. With bright eyes, he turned to them with his half crouch returning. "Did he tell you about the ship?"
"Ship?" asked Jack as Aeryn and D'argo exchanged a look.
"Explosions," Stark whispered. "To stop capture. Big. . . terrible . . .fire that tears, melts, burns . . ." His single eye danced manically, flittering from Jack to the others as his hands acted out their death.
How the hell did he know that? Jack wondered wildly as the crazy man went on again about explosions and fire. He would have laughed it off, questioned just how he knew if Aeryn and D'argo hadn't sprung immediately into action.
"John, we have a problem!" D'argo barked into the open air.
"What?" the other human's voice came back.
"That ship is going to explode."
"Why am I not surprised?" Jack heard Crichton sigh.
"I'll go talk to Pilot," Aeryn said to D'argo. "If it's shielded the only way we're getting rid of it is by spacing it."
"Wait a minute. Are you sure?" Jack put out a hand to stop her.
"Stark is. He sees their thoughts when they die." She shook off his hand.
And things just kept getting weirder and weirder. Talk about the Twilight Zone. "What's our timetable?" he asked instead as Aeryn left.
D'argo looked at Stark who stared back muttering, "Fire inside . . . outside, dead, all dead . . ."
"Stark, how long?" D'argo grabbed the quailing man by the shoulders, shaking him roughly to get his attention.
"Long time, no time, no time . . . soon." Stark blinked slowly, turning his gaze to Jack and Teal'c. "Soon we will die," he whispered soberly.
"Great," said D'argo. He shot a look at Jack and headed off after Aeryn. Jack took that as invitation to follow.
"So what's the plan? We gonna take off then eject the ship?" asked Jack.
"If Moya and Pilot have recovered enough to take off."
"What?" Jack grabbed D'argo's arm, spinning him around to face him. "We can't take off?" The 'worse' of this situation had just gotten worse.
"We *might* not be able to," the alien replied.
"Then let's make sure we can," said Jack forcefully. They did not win the first battle just to die in an explosion. Not on his watch.
"We'll see - "
"Ahh," Jack cut him off with a raised finger. "No bad thoughts."
D'argo just rolled his eyes, muttering "Humans," as he turned back down the corridor.
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John joined them in Command a short while later with Daniel and Sam in tow. "So?" he asked Aeryn coming up beside her.
"They're going to try. Moya's been using most of her reserve energy to heal, but it's been five days," she said softly.
"After serious trauma?" John sighed. "Let's just hope we're not trying to fly on broken wings."
"Pilot?" Aeryn called and his purple image appeared in the clamshell. "We're ready."
"Initiating now," said Pilot with a quiet strain in his voice. Around them Moya's hum increased as her drive engines fought to overcome her own weight and launch herself into space.
"Come on, Moya, come on," John chanted. She could do this, she had too. They would literally be sunk if she didn't.
"Why aren't we moving?" asked Jack from the strategy table.
"It may . . . take a while," said Pilot.
"Well can't we do anything to make it move? You know, bail out the water?" he asked.
"Back off Jack," said John. "They're trying."
"I'm just saying, if we can help we should," Jack shot back defensively.
"We've done all we can, it's up to Moya now. Her and Pilot."
"I hate waiting," Jack muttered.
So did everyone, thought John. And the wait just kept getting longer.
"Pilot?"
"It's . . . too much," Pilot panted. "Moya can't . . . "
"Well try harder!"
"Jack!" "Colonel!"
"If she can't, she can't," John snapped over his shoulder. "We'll have to find another way."
"I'm going to the Den," said Aeryn giving his hand a quick squeeze.
"Let's go, John," D'argo sighed. Pushing off the console, John spun and headed out of Command with his friend.
"Pilot, can you scan the ship?" he asked, the other humans falling into step beside him.
"We can help," said Sam when he looked at her.
"Can't let you have all the fun," added Jack with a sarcastic smile.
John grinned back. "Cause diffusing a ship that could blow us to hell is so much fun."
"Ahh," Jack waved a finger in his face. "No bad thoughts."
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What a mess, thought Jack. The floor was slick with pale blood and gore. It was more carnage than they were used to seeing fighting Jaffa and for all he'd seen, Jack still felt a little sympathetic pain.
Aeryn was kneeling on the floor next to the prisoner with D'argo standing over her shoulder. The incomprehensible talking that had been going on for the last ten minutes had finally stopped, the interrogation over. Stark appeared then, coming out of nowhere from the other end of the hallway. Jack and Teal'c watched as he took Aeryn's place by the dying man while she stepped back with her fellow warrior.
Jack moved to join them. "What's going on?" he asked just loud enough for the two of them to hear. It had been a boring wait for them to finish.
Both Aeryn and D'argo looked at him with eyes marked by sadness. "He's easing his passing into the next world," Aeryn replied, equally soft. She turned back to Stark who was lifting the mask that hid the right side of his face. A golden glow poured from his face to the murmuring of his words. The soldier stared at him wide-eyed at first but he slowly relaxed and then died with peace.
"He has passed on," Stark said in a strong voice that held none of the insecurity Jack associated with the man. He replaced the mask and refastened the clasp around his neck. Feather light fingers ghosted down the side of the soldier's face one last time before Stark rose. With bright eyes, he turned to them with his half crouch returning. "Did he tell you about the ship?"
"Ship?" asked Jack as Aeryn and D'argo exchanged a look.
"Explosions," Stark whispered. "To stop capture. Big. . . terrible . . .fire that tears, melts, burns . . ." His single eye danced manically, flittering from Jack to the others as his hands acted out their death.
How the hell did he know that? Jack wondered wildly as the crazy man went on again about explosions and fire. He would have laughed it off, questioned just how he knew if Aeryn and D'argo hadn't sprung immediately into action.
"John, we have a problem!" D'argo barked into the open air.
"What?" the other human's voice came back.
"That ship is going to explode."
"Why am I not surprised?" Jack heard Crichton sigh.
"I'll go talk to Pilot," Aeryn said to D'argo. "If it's shielded the only way we're getting rid of it is by spacing it."
"Wait a minute. Are you sure?" Jack put out a hand to stop her.
"Stark is. He sees their thoughts when they die." She shook off his hand.
And things just kept getting weirder and weirder. Talk about the Twilight Zone. "What's our timetable?" he asked instead as Aeryn left.
D'argo looked at Stark who stared back muttering, "Fire inside . . . outside, dead, all dead . . ."
"Stark, how long?" D'argo grabbed the quailing man by the shoulders, shaking him roughly to get his attention.
"Long time, no time, no time . . . soon." Stark blinked slowly, turning his gaze to Jack and Teal'c. "Soon we will die," he whispered soberly.
"Great," said D'argo. He shot a look at Jack and headed off after Aeryn. Jack took that as invitation to follow.
"So what's the plan? We gonna take off then eject the ship?" asked Jack.
"If Moya and Pilot have recovered enough to take off."
"What?" Jack grabbed D'argo's arm, spinning him around to face him. "We can't take off?" The 'worse' of this situation had just gotten worse.
"We *might* not be able to," the alien replied.
"Then let's make sure we can," said Jack forcefully. They did not win the first battle just to die in an explosion. Not on his watch.
"We'll see - "
"Ahh," Jack cut him off with a raised finger. "No bad thoughts."
D'argo just rolled his eyes, muttering "Humans," as he turned back down the corridor.
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John joined them in Command a short while later with Daniel and Sam in tow. "So?" he asked Aeryn coming up beside her.
"They're going to try. Moya's been using most of her reserve energy to heal, but it's been five days," she said softly.
"After serious trauma?" John sighed. "Let's just hope we're not trying to fly on broken wings."
"Pilot?" Aeryn called and his purple image appeared in the clamshell. "We're ready."
"Initiating now," said Pilot with a quiet strain in his voice. Around them Moya's hum increased as her drive engines fought to overcome her own weight and launch herself into space.
"Come on, Moya, come on," John chanted. She could do this, she had too. They would literally be sunk if she didn't.
"Why aren't we moving?" asked Jack from the strategy table.
"It may . . . take a while," said Pilot.
"Well can't we do anything to make it move? You know, bail out the water?" he asked.
"Back off Jack," said John. "They're trying."
"I'm just saying, if we can help we should," Jack shot back defensively.
"We've done all we can, it's up to Moya now. Her and Pilot."
"I hate waiting," Jack muttered.
So did everyone, thought John. And the wait just kept getting longer.
"Pilot?"
"It's . . . too much," Pilot panted. "Moya can't . . . "
"Well try harder!"
"Jack!" "Colonel!"
"If she can't, she can't," John snapped over his shoulder. "We'll have to find another way."
"I'm going to the Den," said Aeryn giving his hand a quick squeeze.
"Let's go, John," D'argo sighed. Pushing off the console, John spun and headed out of Command with his friend.
"Pilot, can you scan the ship?" he asked, the other humans falling into step beside him.
"We can help," said Sam when he looked at her.
"Can't let you have all the fun," added Jack with a sarcastic smile.
John grinned back. "Cause diffusing a ship that could blow us to hell is so much fun."
"Ahh," Jack waved a finger in his face. "No bad thoughts."
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