Ianto spent the rest of the time checking the systems after he retrieved the memory stick from the Core system. The time passed quickly while he worked on his laptop and it was as the shift changed again that the Lieutenant arrived to take him up to dinner on the executive level.
They headed up several flights, passing crew members as the shift changed. Eventually they reached the upper level of the command deck and Ianto noticed that the interior was better appointed than it had been down below. He smiled as he followed Lieutenant Dowell towards a door at the end of the hallway. She opened the door and held it for him to pass through. Nodding, he passed through the doorway. The group of officers stopped talking as he entered, followed by Lieutenant Dowell.
"Mr. Jones!" General Maddock boomed heartily. "Has anyone ever called you a miracle worker?" He laughed as Ianto approached, clapping the younger man on the back. Stan Seales stood next to him, looking the most relaxed out of the group as he stood next to the General.
"Not to my knowledge, sir," he said with a smile. "And I have a lot to do before you can pass judgment."
"The hell with the ship, I'm talking about the coffee, boy!" Maddock laughed and the officers surrounding him chuckled politely, even though it looks like they were mystified by the conversation. Ianto grinned at the older man. "Though what we need now is a drink! What's your poison?"
"I leave the choice to the General's discretion," Ianto said diplomatically. General Maddock raised his glass to his aide and handed it to her.
"Two of these, my dear," he said with a nod. She went off to the bar and quickly returned with two glasses. The rest of the officers politely declined any alcohol at all. The General snorted at them in disgust before handing Ianto a glass of bourbon. "I think a toast is required."
"Sir?" Ianto raised an eyebrow at him. "To what or whom are we toasting?"
"To the collaboration of UNIT and Torchwood – an unbeatable combination!" The General announced. Ianto clinked his glass against the General's before taking a sip. He thought he did an admirable job of masking his surprise at the alcohol content of the drink. "A pity Jack couldn't make it up."
"One can't say no to the crown," Ianto said with a small smile. The General nodded glumly. Behind them a door opened and all of the junior officers came to attention.
"Captain on deck!" One of the officers barked and everyone but the General and Ianto saluted. The two men turned and Ianto got his first look at the Captain of the Valiant. He could see why Jack had been impressed.
Captain Abrunjo stood in the doorway and surveyed the room. She was a tall woman with long black hair which was tied into tiny braids and woven in an intricate pattern around her head. She had large almond shaped dark eyes and a very exotic face, though Ianto was sure that from her stance she wasn't one to use her looks to her advantage. She nodded at the group and walked over to where Ianto was standing.
"So, you're Ianto Jones," she drawled, pausing to look him up and down, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Captain Abrunjo," Ianto nodded. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you." She tilted her head back and looked at him intently.
"She was right, you are a charmer," the Captain said with a smile.
"She?" Ianto asked curiously. He took a sip of his drink while he waited for her to answer. She accepted a glass of wine from an ensign and drank, her eyes never leaving his face.
"Martha," she finally replied. "We go back a ways."
"Ah," Ianto said. He could only imagine what Martha may have said about him. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for the doctor."
"The feeling is mutual," Captain Abrunjo laughed. She had a melodic laugh and Ianto could see several of the men behind her shifting uncomfortably in reaction. He suppressed a smile. "She had some interesting stories to tell of her time at your facility down below." The General was watching their interaction with a smile on his face. Ianto could see that Stan was laughing silently behind the other man, so he kept his gaze locked on the Captain.
"I could imagine she did," Ianto acknowledged with a nod of his head. She laughed outright at that comment and stalked towards him. From years of working with military martinets he knew better than to back down and stared her right in the eye. Not that he thought of her in that category, but usually they appreciated a direct approach rather than the pandering they usually received from someone of lower rank. As Torchwood, he was outside the military organizational structures and therefore not subject to their rules. The captain came closer than was polite and stared at him for a long moment. He stared back with a slight smile on his face that gave away none of his thoughts.
"I think I like you, Ianto Jones," she said with a smile. "But then I suppose I would have to, wouldn't I?" She turned away and took a sip of her wine while he pondered her cryptic comment. "It looks like supper is ready. Shall we be seated?"
Ianto offered the Captain his arm and she gave him a sideways glance as she slipped her hand through his arm. The group of officers parted before them as they made their way to the table. Ianto held out the chair for the Captain and she raised an eyebrow, but said nothing about his gallant gesture as she took a seat. The other officers were silent as they followed them, but the General was obviously amused. Major Seales got called away to the command center just as they were sitting down, so they had to start dinner without him.
As the first course was served the Captain finished off her wine and it was immediately refilled. Ianto declined another drink and requested water with his meal. The General and Captain exchanged some meaningless comments to one another while they ate. Ianto was quiet, interested in the food for the most part, but keeping attention to the conversation as well. It was the first meal he'd had since his scant breakfast at the Hub that morning.
"So Jones," the Captain said, turning her gaze back to him. "Just what the hell are you doing to my ship?" She had a half smile on her face as she asked the question.
"Adding some bells and whistles for you to play with," he said with a smile. Her own smile grew as she watched him. "Once I'm finished, I'll give you the highlights."
"Oh no, you won't," she said, her voice lowered. "I want all of the details." The conversation around the table faltered as the men paused to listen to their exchange.
"Many of them are rather mundane, and most probably beneath your notice," he said, ignoring the tension around the table. It seemed that the captain had other thoughts about the work that he was doing and was intent in finding out what they were. He was curious as to why her comment put everyone on edge.
"Like the inside Core which no one but you is allowed to enter," she asked, her gaze intent upon him. He shrugged nonchalantly and nodded to the ensign who refilled his glass. Taking a sip he put down his glass before responding to her.
"Not much to see in there," he said with a shrug.
"Then why is it off limits to UNIT personnel?" She asked. The room was silent as Ianto picked up his fork and continued eating. The General was sitting back and watching the exchange with a smile on his face.
"Because most of the information contained inside is proprietary technology known only to Torchwood Institute staff," Ianto replied as he cut into his fish and took a bite. If the captain was going to push on access to the heart of the Valiant, he had no intention of giving it to her. There were good reasons for restricting access.
"And what made you so special that you know what it does?" The Captain asked. She was no longer looking relaxed, but was leaning forward, her posture almost threatening as she stared at him intently.
"I helped hunt down the alien we took it from," Ianto said calmly and kept on eating. The Captain sat back abruptly as she took in his comment. "And together with my team mates disseminated it for use by UNIT."
"So, you hunt aliens," the Captain said, her anger disappearing as fast as it had risen moments before. Ianto nodded.
"If they're hostile, yes," Ianto said. "If they're not, we warn them off and make sure they go home. If we can't send them back, we take care of them until we find a better solution."
"And what's the worst thing you've run into," she asked him as she began eating her meal again.
"Our fellow men and women," Ianto said soberly. The memories of what happened up in the Brecon Beacons would be forever seared into his mind. He took a breath and let it out. "Not too long ago we ran into a whole town of cannibals. No alien could top that."
The Captain looked at him with a grave expression. From the change, Ianto assumed that she had abandoned her attack on Torchwood and their ability to close her out of her own ship. "And what alien would be the worst that you've encountered?"
"That would be a toss up," he said, "given my experience at Canary Wharf." The room was completely silent as the others absorbed his comment. The Captain tilted her head that once again reminded him of Jack.
"So, Daleks or Cybermen, which would you consider the worst of the two?" She drawled and calmly continued with her meal. After a few seconds the rest of the table followed.
