3

TORCHWOOD

Words boldly in front of us becomes the name painted on the side of a spaceship, with the same in Chinese behind it.

The name is on the nose, under the bridge. It sticks out from the body of the ship like a craning neck. The body is bulbous, with propulsion engines on either side and a giant glowing back. There are two small shuttles tucked in over the 'wings' of the engines. It's not the sleekest ship in the 'verse, to be sure.

As it hits atmo, the propulsion engines take over and she starts to rock a bit, noise filling our ears. At the windows and into the bridge, to see the Captain, Jaxton 'Jax' Harkness, standing and watching.

At that moment, a small piece of the nose breaks off and goes flying past the window.

The bridge is small: two pilot seats on either side, with a tangle of wires and machinery all about.

Jax wears the full-length Great Coat and boots of an old Independent. Gun at his hip. He's not unlike the ship …he's seen a bit of the world and it left him, emotionally at least, weathered. Right now, though, he's mostly startled.

"What was that?" Jax is addressing the pilot, Mickey. Flight gear and a Hawaiian shirt, toy dinosaurs populating his station - no old soldier, but just as startled.

"Whoah! Did you see that" Mickey crows as the ship bucks

"Was that the primary buffer panel?" Jax asks the room.

"It did seem to resemble…" Mickey starts to answer.

"Did the Primary Buffer Panel just fall off my goddamn ship for no apparent reason?" Jax says with wonder. Another buck.

"Looks like." Mickey says with wide innocent eyes.

"I thought Toshiko checked our entry couplings! I have a very clear memory of it" Jax says with equal surprise.

"Yeah well if she doesn't give us some extra flow from the engine room to offset the burn through this landing is gonna get pretty interesting." Mickey shrugs conversationally.

"Define "Interesting"."

"Oh god, oh god, we're all gonna die?" Mickey suggests calmly.

Jax hits the com, "This is the Captain. There's a little problem with our entry sequence; we may experience slight turbulence and then explode."

"Can you shave the vector…" Jax is shouting at Mickey who rolls his eyes.

"I'm doing it! It's not enough."

"Toshiko!" Jax roars down the coms. "Just get us on the ground!"

"That part'll happen, pretty definitely." Mickey snorts with amusement like they are talking about a cake burning or something.

The ladder from the bridge leads Jax down. On either side of the hall are ladders leading down to crew's personal quarters. The hulking mercenary Rhys is coming up out of his bunk as Jax passes. He carries a number of rifles and grenades.

"we're gonna explode? I don't wanna explode."

"Rhys, how many weapons you plan on bringing? You only got the two Arms" Jax asks with surprise at the arsenal.

"I just get excitable as to choice, like to have my options open." Rhys shrugs.

"I don't plan on any shooting taking place during this job." Jax frowns.

"Well, what you plan and what takes place ain't ever exactly been similar." Rhys reminds him in a brotherly kinda way.

"No grenades." Jax demands and Rhys makes a whining noise in his throat as his eyes go all puppy dog begging. "No grenades."

First Mate Martha enters from the lower level. Her mode of dress and military deference mark her as a war buddy of Jax's. "Are we crashing again?"

"Talk to your husband. Is the mule prepped?" Jax replies as he watched her pass with a look of open appreciation for her curves.

"Good to go, sir. Just loading her up." She answers and then sees Rhys slumped to one side "Are those grenades?"

"Cap'n doesn't want 'em." Rhys grumbles with a childish pout.

"We're robbing the place. We're not occupying it." She scolds like a mother used to a naughty child and Rhys sighs again.

They never let him blow shit up!

Jax has now in the communal space of the ship, homey and messy. There is food left lying on the table. Jax swipes a dumpling from a plate, pops it in his mouth as another jolt rocks him and sends most of the tableware clattering to the floor.

"Toshiko!" Jax yells around his mouthful of food. "Toshiko, what in the sphincter of hell are you playing at?"

The hall leads to the rust-brown chaos that is the engine room. Working around the engine in a forest of wires, sparks and smoke is the sweetly pretty mechanic, Toshiko. She passes Jax with a slightly impatient smile as he stands in the doorway, raising his voice above the din. "We got the Primary Buffer?"

"Everything's shiny, Cap'n. Not to fret." She smiles up at him with a smear of grease on her cheek.

"You told me…" Jack scolds then squeaks as the vessel is jolted to one side. "You told me the entry couplings would hold for another week!"

"That was six months ago, cap'n." she replies calmly, used to this.

"My ship don't crash. If she crashes, you crashed her." Jax huffs, then steam and electricity shoot at him, backing him up.

He turns to see Owen behind him. Owen is more seasoned than before, but still contrasts the Captain entirely in dress and manner. He is implacably proper. Also pissed.

"Doctor. Guess I need to get unhooked 'fore we hit planetside."

Owen nods, the ship jolting again.

"Bit of a rockety ride. Nothing to worry about." Jax smiles disarmingly at the shorter man.

"I'm not worried." Owen shrugs.

"Fear is nothing to be ashamed of, Doc." Jax assures him.

"This isn't fear. This is anger." Owen snarls.

"Well, it's kinda hard to tell the one from t'other, face like yours." Jax shoots at him as he fluffs his hair.

"I imagine if it were fear, my eyes would be wider." Owen says with equal disinterest.

"I'll look for that next time." Jax grins.

"You're not taking him." Owen suddenly says, as if just catching on to what is happening.

"No no, that's not a thing I'm interested in talking over with …" Jax tries to slide around Owen but he leans in close "He's not going with you. That's

final."

"I hear the words "that's final" come out of your mouth ever again, they truly will be." Jax suddenly drops the banter and his face is cold, then it flickers back to jovial as if it never happened, "This is my boat. Y'all are guests on it."

Owen stands there for a beat then turns to chase after the Captain.

He was not going to let Ianto go on a bloody scavenger hunt for the love of the Gods!