Title: Tish's Years.
Chapter 05: The Star Gardener
Character, pairing: Jack Harkness, Tish Jones.
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who Universe.
Summary: Jack rescued Tish who, after falling through the rift, had found herself on an abandoned planet centuries in the future. After a first stop on an alien base, Jack and Tish are on their way to resume their wandering trip, but what is the purpose?
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: none
Beta: Orion Lyonesse on ffnet .
"Okay, just tell me what all this is about," Tish asked.
"It's about finding planets where Humans could settle new colonies."
"Because they finally managed to ruin Earth, is that it?"
"Yep, pretty much," Jack replied.
"I won't say it surprises me. They were already far on the way to achieving it when I left," she noted, "everyone pointing at others for taking responsibility, instead of really doing something that would have been useful."
"That's a commonplace thing with politics, and it's the same anywhere you go: they only want to deal with short time projects. What really matters for them is only what can serve their popularity; the rest can be either delayed or ignored, until there is no way back," Jack commented sternly. "It started with weather disasters, but not the kind that would end all Human life as in catastrophe movies, no. Just countries hit more and more often by deadly cataclysms. Populations decimated by the thousands, that's the way it goes."
"But Martha said she'd been on Earth in a very far future-"
"Humans will be able to go back on Earth in the beginnings of fiftieth century. In my time, Earth will still be a protected area, but with the time, I know people will build new cities and in the end will ruin the planet once again until the Daleks will come to put a final end to it."
"The Daleks?" she jerked. "But if you know it, isn't it possible to prevent things from turning out that way?"
"I won't even try; that's how and when I became immortal," he said. "Not that I wouldn't want to give it up, being immortal, but that would sure cause an unworkable paradox."
"They will destroy the whole planet," she stated, remembering the attack she'd lived through.
"I will be the only survivor," he said, nodding. "Or more exactly, I was. Because I don't intend to show up, if I can avoid it."
"Okay, so how do you do whatever you're doing?" she asked, bringing him back to the starting point. In the end, their first subject was more fun than where they were now heading.
"I'm searching space for planets that can be quickly terra-formed. Things are getting pretty urgent and some countries on Earth have already been evacuated."
"Does it take long to terra-form a planet?"
"Depends on a lot of parameters. Some are more compatible than others," he explained. "The one I found you on is a very good one. It should be ready for settlement in about 15 years."
"I'm probably asking a very stupid question, but why not just terra-form Earth?"
"That's not so stupid, and the question will be debated when it will be completely evacuated."
"Because terra-forming with population on it might not be possible, I suspect," she suggested.
"Oh, it's possible," he said, nodding grimly. "But that would be called genocide."
"Okay, I get it, definitely not an option."
"Not at all," he joked.
"I really was very lucky," she stated.
"You can say that."
"Just to check I got this right; first you search for an uninhabited planet. Once you get one, you check there isn't some lost girl on it and if it's compatible or not. Then, if it's good, what do you do?"
"If there is absolutely no life form on it, and if it turns out to be good for terra-forming, I launch a transformation kit, I install a survey beacon, and then I wait a little while just to make sure things are doing fine and on their way. And when I'm done, I resume my search."
"So currently we're searching for the next one, right?"
"Yes, that's it. I intend to stay a bit longer in this sector; I've got two other potentially interesting planets to check. If they turn to be good, we'll sow them. After that I plan to go back and give a look at those that are about to be ready."
"How many have you got so far?"
"Three that are actually in settlement process, two that are about to be ready, and five in terra-forming process," he replied, not without some pride.
"Wow! So if I've got it right, if you'd got those three more that close, it would be just great?"
"Yes that would be great, three in the same sector and in so short time, that would be unprecedented."
"How long have you been doing this?"
"Nearly a century."
"A century? But you said it was taking about 15 years-"
"For a planet as good as the one I found you on, but babies like that one are the exception. Free, abandoned planets that are compatible are not exactly commonplace."
"So where are we heading right now?"
"We're on our way for M7C9, but taking the long way around. I want to make a detour to make a little check at M4C9P."
"Very nice names," she commented. "Very poetic."
"I know, but I name them from their spatial coordinates. They will be renamed by the people who will settle on them in the end, and that's pretty normal."
"So you found me on…?"
"On M4C9P, in AB4 sector of 9 prime dial."
"So we're going back there?"
"Oh yeah, because a baby like this one I'm not going let go wild."
"Okay, that would be a 15 day trip and after that to go to...?"
"M7C9? About 45 days..." he replied. "Why, is there someone expecting you somewhere?" he asked, without really thinking about it. "'xcuse me, that was stupid, even gross."
"You don't intend to ever go back on Earth, right?"
"Not if I can prevent it," he admitted. "What I'm doing here is very important; I can't just quit for a year."
"You're not the only one doing this, right?"
"Of course not. Torchwood sent two teams of their own with pretty good ships. I've been told they managed to find one planet, and there are some individuals, but they are looking only for themselves."
"But why do we need so many planets to evacuate just one?"
"I won't say I wasn't waiting for that one," he said, laughing. "Do you really think Humankind are just going hand in hand, just because they ruined their planet altogether? No, if some communities don't have prejudice problems, they are still not the majority."
"Tell me Human kind will finally grow up," she sighed.
"They will, more or less," he comforted her.
"So you're the one doing the biggest part."
"I've got the best ship, and I've got more practice in intergalactic travel."
"Right."
"We will come back to Sisko, and I'll take you to Balchan. I'm sure you're going to love the place. And think about this: no one has set foot on M7C9 for nearly a thousand years."
"Maybe. Those sound fun... But how can you stand to stay like this, locked in this little place for so long, especially you, as you don't get to sleep much?"
"I keep myself busy; I listen to communications I can lock into, searching for useful data..."
"That sounds great, indeed."
"If you prefer to stay on Sisko, I'm sure that could be arranged…"
"No, definitely not. I loved our stay, really, but no. I don't want to stay there on my own," she cut him short. "I'm sure I should probably use some time to study and practice Common and other stuff I need to learn. I'm sure there are a lot of things I should learn, right?"
"That's a good idea. I've got a lot of e-books, if you want to check the list, and I could teach you piloting..."
"You're kidding me."
"No, I'm serious. Would you like it?"
"Fly this ship? Really? You would let me?"
To be continued.