ACT 2 – TRUTH
Chapter 27 – First Picture
The Transporter flashed and the doors slid open in front of John, revealing the long corridor ahead. He headed forward after sharing a brief nod with two scientists waiting to get into the Transporter as he left. He was getting better at recognising all the new faces now, though, since the joint Elite/Atlantis taskforces had been running a good few weeks now, he guessed the extra scientists sent here weren't technically 'new' anymore. They all knew him at least, mostly due to his regular daily visits to the taskforce rooms; which had now taken on a far more amusing aspect.
He looked back down at the list in his hand, which held the latest recipes to try to break into the Janus' Mom puzzle. This latest list had come from Carson's team, which showed given they'd written their guesses on the back of a printout of a graph. The other tech lot always supplied an email. Carson's team also held quite a high number of Brits on the Atlantis side of the taskforce, as evidenced by the inclusions of Figgy Pudding, Beef Wellington and Yorkshire Pudding in today's list. He was pretty sure none of those were going to be right, but the puzzle had turned into a fun thing for everyone to get involved with. Each time he visited a taskforce group, he always read out the outcome of their latest guesses and proclaimed variations of 'nope' to all of them so far which resulted in boos and groans. Part of those reactions was due to the fact that there was a big pool growing, with the eventual winner entitled to almost four hundred dollars at this point; well, half the currency he'd collected had been in various other denominations, but he was pretty sure he'd worked out the equivalent rates. And each day the pot was building as more people heard about it and wanted a go.
John just hoped someone would finally actually get the right answer because nothing had worked so far. He'd had to start keeping an official list of everything tried so far and had it saved it in a central place in the city's database so everyone could check it, and the list had started getting pretty long. If Janus was looking down on them from his Ancient ascended cloud, or wherever that other plane of existence was, John hoped the guy was finding this funny.
Still, it was something new and had become part of his routine each day. Another thing to help him keep distracted away from worrying about Teyla too much; though his own mental list of things to tell her about now definitely included his running this pool for the city. She'd no doubt have some guesses of her own… That was a thought…maybe he should ask Torren for some Athosian recipes that might have a long history, see if any of them might have been a fav of Janus' Mom.
He wondered if Teyla's Mom had had a favourite recipe. Maybe he'd ask Torren on the next visit to Athos, and see if he could get it made for Teyla when she came back. Because she was going to come back, all safe and well, having successfully dealt with the whole pesky Skerti problem, all done and dusted.
Yeah…if only his life actually worked out like that…
He folded up the recipe list and tucked it safely into his top pocket. Checking his watch, he saw he was ahead of himself. He'd done the morning rounds to the taskforce teams, checked in with Carter and Woolsey – who were currently dealing with a new trading contract with a small planet in the Alliance who were keen to trade for medical supplies in return for metal ore that was needed for the big build planned for this galaxy. New Daedalus Class ships built here in Pegasus along with the sensor satellites the Elite were helping them develop…it really felt like things were changing. There were more people from Earth than ever in the city now, both the Apollo and the Daedalus were running regular patrols around the local solar system, and they were working with the Elite to develop energy weapons and get the retrovirus through its stumbling blocks into a real viable weapon… It was everything he'd hoped for the expedition, he just wished Teyla was back from her mission. That he could stop worrying about her so much.
Taking a turn, he pulled up outside Rodney's quarters. He was going to have to find a way to drag Rodney out of Janus' lab; he was pretty sure Rodney hadn't left that small room for several days now, and apparently he couldn't even get away long enough to get a change of clothes. John didn't mind doing the pickup for him, but he was starting to worry a bit. Despite their assurances, he could see that both Jackson and Rodney were finding the whole Fort Knox database frustrating. They'd been at it for days and, though they were cracking codes, it didn't seem to be getting anywhere yet. Fortunately, no tempers had flared down there yet, but John was waiting for it.
He swept his hand over the crystals and Rodney's door slid open. John strode in and frowned as he realised the light was already on, not flickering to life as he entered. He didn't even think it was possible in the city for lights to be on if there was no one in a room. He paused and glanced round, only to spot Katie Brown stood by Rodney's bed and looking round.
"Oh, hi Katie," he said hurriedly. Fortunately she was dressed; he'd not thought that she might be in here. "Sorry, Rodney sent me to get him a new uniform, but if he's already asked you…" He trailed off as he realised Katie had a small crate set on Rodney's bed into which she'd been adding some books.
There were various things in the crate: toiletries, a pile of clothes, a small alarm clock, and the books. He was pretty sure none of it belonged to Rodney unless he used a lady-shaver and read Botany books.
Oh no.
John snapped his eyes up to Katie's face. Her eyes and the end of her nose were red.
He couldn't say he was surprised; he'd wondered a lot, especially recently, how the two ran their relationship what with Rodney's long hours and repeatedly missing their dates, but then Rodney had said he was planning to propose, so John had guessed things were fine between them. Oh crap, Rodney must have proposed and… Poor Rodney.
"Um," John realised he'd not said anything. What should he say? "I'm sorry," he decided on.
She shook her head and looked away, focusing back down on the crate, pushing the books further into it. "It's fine, Colonel. It's better for the both of us this way."
He winced as he watched her sad profile as she adjusted some of the things in the crate.
"I brought his things from my quarters," she added pointing to a lone small wash bag sat on the bed. That was all Rodney had had in her quarters? Hadn't they been together for a good couple of years? "Would you tell him for me?"
"Sure, of course," John moved towards the bed and reached for the small wash bag. "Actually, he could probably do with some of this down in the lab." He set his tablet down on the bed and unzipped the bag to find all the basics in there; antiperspirant, toothbrush and paste, a shaver and small can of shaving cream, shampoo and a soap tin. He was pretty sure it was a pre-packaged travel bag, the contents sold with the bag. That felt kind of depressing for Rodney.
"I saw a fresh uniform in the wardrobe," Katie announced in a stronger tone as she turned from the bed and moved the short distance to the wall, triggering open the Ancient wardrobe.
"Oh great, thanks," John uttered as several uniforms came into view, nicely pressed and on hangers.
She pulled out one hanger, so John headed forward, taking it from her. He pulled aside the uniform jacket to see the corresponding pants were there too.
"He'll need an undershirt," Katie added moving to the small shelves, lifting the top shirt. She did it carefully, one hand on top of the shirt the other underneath, keeping it all tidy.
"Thanks," John took the shirt from her.
"And he'll need fresh underwear," she added as she moved away to Rodney's chest of drawers, pulling open the top two drawers. John got the feeling this was far from the first time she'd sorted a change of clothes for Rodney.
John headed back to the bed, picked up his tablet and set it on his forearm, draped the uniform over it, the folded shirt on top and Rodney's wash bag on top.
Katie approached with some folded boxers and a pair of rolled up socks. She set them on the shirt for John and he hugged the collection against his body to keep it all together.
"Thanks, Katie," he told her.
She nodded, her eyes on the uniform, and then moved away again.
He felt like he should say something…
"I'm really sorry," he said as she headed back to the crate of her things. "I know he can be…" he wasn't sure he could say anything she didn't already know. And, at the end of the day, Rodney was his friend and John felt he should be loyal to him.
It was probably the right decision for them, given what Katie had said and that she clearly should be with someone who wouldn't simply forget about her for an entire day, keep missing dates and not keeping in touch. John didn't think he'd ever seen the two of them even share a peck on the cheek. But then some couples kept that kind of thing behind closed doors; he certainly had to with Teyla, but he wished he didn't have to. In all the times they'd spent together on Athos, walking Tjaru's paths, visiting shops, and seeing the sights, they've never been able to hold hands. It felt like a stupidly small thing, but he really wished it didn't have to be something they hid.
Katie nodded as she set her hands on the crate's handles. "He's a brilliant man; I just don't think we're right for each other."
She looked round with her big sad, tear-stained eyes.
"I'm still sorry," he replied with feeling.
She smiled softly and picked up her crate.
"You want any help carrying your stuff?" He offered.
"No, thank you, Colonel," she uttered politely and sadly. "This is all I left here."
She moved past him and headed for the door. He moved quickly ahead of her, making it to the door crystals so he could activate them for her as her hands were taken up with the crate.
"Thank you," she said softly as the doors slid open in front of her.
"No problem," John followed her out into the corridor.
They both paused outside as Rodney's door slid shut behind them.
He felt like he should say something else, but he was crap at this kind of emotional stuff and he didn't want to say anything clichéd or condescending. After his divorce, all he'd heard from people was that 'she wasn't worth it' or 'there's more fish in the sea'. Everyone had meant well, but it hadn't helped.
"You and Carson really mean a lot to him," she said abruptly.
He blinked, surprised.
"I know you'll look after him," she said, though the question was clear in her big sad eyes.
"Of course we will," he assured her firmly.
She nodded, glanced back at the closed door behind her and headed away.
John watched her walk away, clearly heartbroken.
As clearly Rodney was going to be. Poor guy. John juggled Rodney's uniform a bit to pull his tablet out from underneath it all. He tapped into his email and opened up a message to Carson, marking it as urgent.
Rodney and Katie split up. I'm going to see if I can get him to the Mess for lunch if you can get free for an hour?
He sent off the email.
It was about an hour till lunch started in the Mess Hall. He'd been planning to head down there to pick up some sweet treats for everyone in Janus' Lab, but now decided that wasn't going to be the best thing. If he took Rodney pastries, the guy wouldn't leave.
The tablet bleeped with a surprisingly fast response from Carson! He guessed the retrovirus team weren't currently gathered en mass around the whiteboards for a change.
Poor Rodney. I'll get away. 1pm?
John typed back a quick confirmation. That sent, he readjusted the clothes, dropping Rodney's socks on the floor in the reshuffle, but he whipped them back up quickly and brushed them off against his leg as he headed back towards the Transporter.
Getting Rodney out of the Lab was going to be the hard part here, though that Carson was free would help. Knowing Rodney, he'd just stick his head further into his work to deal with the breakup, not that John probably wouldn't do the same. When he and Teyla had briefly broken up when she'd originally been on course to marry that evil Genii General, John had thrown himself into long hours…
Though, now he thought about it, as he stepped into the Transporter and jabbed the right spot on the map, he'd been doing a lot of long shifts recently to deal with worrying about Teyla so much. There was some good in focusing on your work, helping distract you from freaking out, but Rodney had already been overdoing it before this…
And he'd proposed to Katie, but ended up getting dumped. Poor guy.
John stepped out of the Transporter into the musty smelling area of the City that led to Janus' bat cave. He knew the route now, so didn't have to consult the nightlight arrows stuck on the walls, but if you weren't sure, you just needed to follow the increase in the dank stink. There were no windows, which didn't help. He knew why the Ancients didn't have opening windows in much of the city, given it was also a spaceship, but there had to be a way to air out this place. Or treat the walls or something.
He turned the last corner, seeing two scientists emerging from the magic door.
"Afternoon, Colonel," both of them said.
"Afternoon," John nodded back.
As he reached the magic door he paused, as always, and double-checked the tone generator's lights were blinking as normal. He took a breath and pushed his uniform laden arm ahead of him as he stepped through the wall. There was barely any sensation to going through the magic door, but it still felt weird, despite all the times he'd gone through it lately.
Safely through the magic door and not merged into the wall in a nightmare of a death if the tone generator went off, he glanced around the busy lab. There were several teams, obvious by the subtle distance between each group as they worked. One to the left were working on a collection of Janus' object's on a table, and another group were sat in front of the nearest console, frowning up at the Ancient screen, laptops and several calculators balanced on the console. Ahead, Skan was stood with another group, all focused on the smaller screen behind the Ancient pedestal, and, off to the right in their usual places, were Rodney and Jackson.
Even with a brief glance, John could tell Rodney wasn't doing well. He was quiet, which was the first clue, the other indications were that he was hunched forward over his laptop set on the console, slightly turned away from everyone else and his eyes down.
John took a breath and headed towards him and Jackson.
"How goes things?" He asked as he approached them.
"Hi," Jackson looked round with a smile, but his eyes darted away to Rodney and back pointedly. John nodded at the received message.
"Rodney?" John prompted as he hadn't answered.
"I've gotten through two more layers of maths puzzles, but there's just more underneath," came the defeated answer, and he hadn't looked up from his laptop.
"That's progress," John pointed out the positive.
"Progress to nowhere," Rodney muttered as he tapped something into his keyboard.
John glanced at Jackson and the Archaeologist nodded subtly.
"Actually, I could do with stretching my legs," Jackson said as he stood up, stretching his arms out in front of him. "We've not left all night," he added for John's benefit.
"Sounds a good plan," John nodded, pretending along.
"I'll be back in a bit, Rodney," Jackson added as he moved away.
"Sure," Rodney replied absentmindedly.
John watched Jackson head out through the magic door and turned back to Rodney. "I've got your change of uniform," he reported as walked over to a free space on the closest table and laid down the components of Rodney's change of clothes.
As he set it all down, not too far from the glass Janus tech further along the table, John glanced quickly around the lab, confirming that the petite-redhead Tem-we-ya wasn't here today. He found the Ancestor Expert a little uncomfortable to be around. If he went anywhere near a piece of Janus tech in here, she got all twitchy about him activating anything and, the rest of the time, she kept asking him questions about how he interacted with Ancient tech. Yesterday she'd asked him where in his body he felt his response to being around Ancient tech. He'd thought of a few jokes by way of an answer to that awkward question. Admittedly he'd not really thought about it before, and, in the end, he'd gone with 'everywhere'. She'd seemed to find that a very interesting answer.
Fortunately though, she appeared to have a day off today, and he could freely get close to the objects on this table without her freaking out.
"Thanks," Rodney glanced round only briefly at the news of the uniform delivery.
John moved back around behind Rodney's chair and pulled Jackson's empty chair closer.
"How you doing, Buddy?" John asked as casually as he could, pitching his voice lower so it wouldn't carry across the lab.
Rodney immediately looked round with frown. "What?" He asked with a confused shock and then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why?"
"I was just checking," John replied as he settled into Jackson's overly warm chair.
Rodney kept peering suspiciously at him.
"I walked into Katie in your quarters," John admitted.
"Oh," Rodney looked away quickly, focusing down on his laptop, absently tapping at one key.
"I'm really sorry, Buddy," John offered, knowing it wasn't going to help all that much.
"What did she say then?" Rodney asked, his eyes still on his laptop's keyboard.
"She was packing her things into a crate, so, being the detective that I am…" John tried to joke.
Rodney nodded.
"She left you that wash bag from her quarters, so I thought you might want it down here," John continued.
"You saying I smell bad?" Rodney asked, the attempt at humour coming across a little weak, but John took it as a good sign.
"Maybe. What I am saying is you need a break from being in here," John told him. "How about you change and then come have lunch with me and Carson. He's free at 13:00."
He saw Rodney wince, possibly embarrassed.
"There's a lot to get through here," Rodney started making excuses.
"Rodney, there's like twenty people in here. You can take an hour away. You need at least an hour's break."
Rodney glanced away over his shoulder and then back. "There's twelve people in here, and when Jackson's back that's thirteen, not including you."
John almost smiled at the petty point; another good sign with Rodney.
"Good thing you didn't join Mensa," Rodney muttered.
John grinned. "Come on, go change and we'll head up to the Mess Hall."
Rodney glanced back round at his fresh uniform, clearly still debating it.
"It's just Carson and me, Rodney. Let me buy you a beer."
"There's no beer in the Mess at lunch," Rodney pointed out.
"Then you'll have to be in the Mess Hall again later for dinner as well."
A small little smile crossed Rodney's face before he looked back down to his laptop. "Alright," he agreed and turned away towards his change of clothes. "But just an hour. I need some time to think about how to crack this latest cipher anyway."
"Great," John smiled as he watched Rodney collecting up his things and head for the magic door without any further comment.
Things were obviously not going to be as easy as getting him to one meal and getting a beer in him, but it was a good start.
Plus, John realised, it gave him someone else to focus on besides worrying about Teyla.
Checking the time, John reached for the laptop set on Jackson's screen. Unlike everyone else, Jackson didn't need to use the translation programme, so the laptop was nearly always free to use. John pulled out the list of recipe guesses from Carson's team; might as well start on this while he waited for Rodney.
See if anyone had won the pot yet.
0000
Teyla slid off the side of the medical bed and reached down to close up her trousers before she headed back across to her waiting chair. Her electronic pad was sat on the small medical table, its screen displaying the data the Healer had sent to it and the current time. A quick calculation in her head confirmed that Teyla still had plenty of time to get up to Central Station before the Sythus was due to arrive at the target point Nalla had given them to drop out of hyperspace.
It would only be at that point that they'd find out if Nalla and her team were okay.
Reaching for her holster hanging off the back of the chair, Teyla wrapped it around her, securing it closed over her still very flat lower stomach. She quickly ran her fingers over all the weapons, pouches and knives on the holster, able to tell from the quick simple touch that everything was in place.
Nothing to do now but wait for the Healer to return, Teyla sat down and turned the pad towards her. The screen showed the new batch of pregnancy-related reading material the Healer had sent her, but also an image captured from the scan just performed. Teyla tapped open the image.
The picture was captured off the Ancestor-based scanner, slightly grainy in its outlines, but the babe was clear enough. It was still so tiny, but the Healer had assured her that it remained healthy. And, even to Teyla's untrained eyes, she was pretty sure she could see the differences in the babe in just the last two days since her first scan.
It still looked rather like a curved bean, but its little arms and legs, and a strong heartbeat, were all clear. The scanner had even detected electrical activity that was the babe's early brainwaves.
Her and John's babe.
It was too early to tell if it was male or female, but Teyla did not care. As long as it was safe and well, that was all that was important. That they survived everything ahead together and got back to John.
Tell him that he was to be a father…
She wished so much that he was here, that he could see this first picture of their child.
The door to the treatment cubicle opened and Teyla looked up quickly from the pad as the Healer returned.
"Apologies that took longer than planned, I had to open a new testing box from stores," the female smiled as she sat down on the other side of the table. "Your urine sample is fine, and your blood results are all back to within normal range for this stage of the pregnancy."
"Good," Teyla smiled with relief. "I feel much improved; the new medication and move off night shifts has given me more energy."
The Healer nodded. "Good. I suggest, battle situations allowing, that you now come in weekly for me to monitor things, but if you need anything in the meantime, let me know."
"Thank you, Healer."
"Just continue to make sure you get as much sleep as possible, eat regularly, and keep the daily medication going. I can slightly increase the morning medication dosage if needed, but as it is keeping your nausea symptoms under control at the current dose, I think we should stick with that."
"I agree," Teyla nodded.
"If you need any more of the instant relief injections, you can just drop by here for some at any time."
Teyla nodded. "I haven't had to use one yet, but given the possible mission situations ahead, I will do so."
The Healer nodded. "I shall see you in a week," she tapped on her medical pad's screen and Teyla's pad lit up with the scheduled next appointment. She tapped it into her private diary.
"Thank you," Teyla started to get up from her seat, reaching for her sword harness.
"I hear we are about to arrive at the target arrival point?" The Healer asked.
"Yes," Teyla confirmed as she pulled on the harness. "But it could be another day to the asteroid field by sublight, depending on the local conditions."
"That will be welcome news to some of the crew. Even after years in space, some still suffer some hyperspace sickness."
Teyla nodded as she slid her swords into their scabbards on her back. "My Father is one of them; he does not enjoy space, or sea, travel."
She wondered if the babe would be alright with such things, if it was an inherited trait; though neither she nor John had such issues.
She knew very little about the rest of John's family, as he was not close with them. It was clearly a painful subject for him, having lost his mother some time ago and not having spoken with his father in many years, so she hadn't liked to ask him too many questions. Usually when a Political Marriage was formed it was important for all extended family on both sides to meet, but of course that had been ignored in regards to John's family who were all in another galaxy. However, in cases of a pregnancy in a Political Marriage, there were traditions that made it necessary for all the family to be visited and informed of the impending Political babe. It was deemed essential for the growing pregnancy to be seen, at least once, by the whole families, a way of preventing 'pretend' children being introduced to try and force the extended political connections that were automatically enacted when a babe was born of two politically unified worlds. Which meant that, in theory, she should now meet John's family.
But, of course, such conversations and decisions would have to wait. She was still a long way from John, and the pregnancy was still early; now day sixty two of the two hundred and eighty of an average pregnancy and she was on a dangerous mission far from home…
Heading out of the Healing Bay and into the corridors of the ship, Teyla made herself take a breath and focus her mind on work and not on the turning worries. Above her, the lights glowed at high alert ready for the drop from hyperspace, and another glance at her pad confirmed she still had enough time to get up to Central Station. Though, as she turned into the open door into the transport, she paused with faint hesitation. She'd been fine using the transport between the floors of the ship over these last two days, but since that excessive bout of nausea before, she still felt a heavy rush of trepidation as she turned inside the small space. At least alone in here currently, she took a moment to take a calming breath before she reached out and pressed the button for the Central Station level.
The transport began to move…and, fortunately, no nausea kicked in. Relieved, she relaxed her shoulders a little more. Though the nausea wasn't there, she was almost certain that she felt more aware of the motion of the transport than she had before the pregnancy. As if her body were more sensitive to things around her.
In fact, the sense of motion was a little uncomfortable, so she turned her mind back to John to distract herself away from the sensations.
When she saw him again, she would definitely speak with him about them visiting his family. He had mentioned his brother with a little more ease than their father, so perhaps that would be possible. She would not want to push him into it, but perhaps the pregnancy could be the means by which he could reconnect with his family. And, she had to admit, she was very eager to see Earth. He had told her so many stories of his homeworld, shown her numerous images of stunning landscapes and massive tall cities.
And she wanted their child to be able to visit Earth in the future, to know its other distant homeworld. Though, she mused as the transport finally slid to a stop and she headed out into the corridor beyond, she wondered what would technically be her child's homeworld. Though she was of Athos, the majority of her time was spent here on the Sythus or spells spent working out of the Training Facility, and John lived in Atlantis, far from Earth.
And if this mission truly did last the length of her pregnancy and the babe had to be born on the Sythus, then technically this ship would be her child's first home.
Ahead of her, the open back hatch into Central Station came into view, so it was time to properly focus on her work.
Though, she decided as she stepped through the hatch's threshold, if given the choice, she'd like to have her child on Athos.
Central Station was lit ready for battle, every station staffed, and all her fellow Elite were stood around the tactical display table; though with Nalla off the ship, Seifer on The Valse and Oneakka off rotation, there seemed very few of them currently.
She headed for her usual place of late around the sparsely populated tactical display table.
As she arrived, Halling, on her immediate right, glanced round at her. "Everything alright?" He asked quietly, having known she had had a check-up in the Healing Bay.
He thought it was for her stomach condition, which wasn't all that far from the truth so she hadn't really lied to him. She was just keeping a personal matter private for the time being, but she still felt a little guilty about the subterfuge.
"All is well," she confirmed simply with a quick smile and turned her attention to the display table's screens.
The time in the centre of the table showed that she had arrived at the perfect time as they were only two minutes from arrival point.
"All departments report ready," Jobrill declared from the front end of the display table.
"Pilots?" Halling called out loudly down Central Station.
"Yes, Honoured Elite," both Pilots replied instantly.
"Drop us out of hyperspace on your lead."
Teyla waited, watching the countdown sliding speedily downwards. As it started to approach zero, she reached for the handles built into the side of the tactical display table, bracing herself ready for what might be waiting for them.
"Dropping from hyperspace in," one Pilot stated loudly across the now very quiet Central Station, "two, one!"
Teyla felt the sensation of the drop from hyperspace, felt her stomach feel like it was overshooting.
"Sensors?" Si called loudly even as the sensor map on the table began to populate with initial scan data.
"No Wraith, Skerti or other ships detected in range, Honoured Elite," a voice replied efficiently. "But-"
Teyla knew what the rest of that sentence was going to be before the alert began to sound.
"Multiple small impacts on hull," someone finished as Teyla watched the display screens fill with thousands of dots around and ahead of them. Nalla and her team had clearly been correct at how far out they should arrive. As it was they had arrived in the middle of a soup of tiny asteroids hanging far further out from the main asteroid field.
"Damage?" Halling called around the blaring impact alert.
"Minimal so far, but we need to shut the intakes," a voice added.
"Shut them and any open ventral sensors. Bring us to a stop," Jobrill ordered quickly.
"Honoured Elite, all other Fleet ships reporting same issue."
"Order them into formation behind us," Halling decided quickly. "Alpha Wing attack formation and to hold position!"
Teyla nodded in agreement. That would form up a narrow arrow shape, providing protection to the Hunt Fleet ships sliding in behind each other on one display screen. The Valse was bigger than the Sythus, but it was up close, jutting out as part of the flare of one side of the arrow formation, providing good protection for the other ships moving in behind it as the Fleet began slowing it forward motion.
On another section of the display, Teyla watched little impact readings flaring all across the Sythus' front and sides. Damage was still showing as very minimal so far…
"We're inside what appears to be a region of small broken pieces of asteroid and particulate matter," a Technician reported.
"Collided asteroid debris most likely," Jobrill suggested.
"We're only getting small pieces impacting the hull, but there are larger pieces ahead," Si pointed to an area on the sensor chart.
Teyla nodded as more of the chart populated with expanding sensor readings. A band of denser pieces of broken rock was ahead, perhaps indeed from one or more asteroids having been struck and broken up, resulting in a cloud of debris.
"We are at full stop, Honoured Elite," a Pilot reported loudly.
"Acknowledged," Halling called back.
"Hunt Fleet now in Alpha Wing attack formation and holding position, Honoured Elite," another voice reported efficiently.
The arrow was displayed on a screen close to Teyla and she expanded it slightly. The Sensor Platform Ship, the most delicate of the small Fleet, was positioned innermost within the formation, under the most protection provided by the other Fleet ships.
"Sensor Platform Ship fully protected," Teyla reported for the rest.
"We have reduced impacts on our hull now we've stopped," Si reported from across the table.
"Appears that we, fortunately, arrived on the outskirts of this band of debris," Halling noted. "Nothing is reading bigger than half a metre across and it appears to be ice matter only."
Teyla looked away from the sensor scans to look out the front view of the Sythus, seeing with her own eyes what the scans reported. The way ahead looked like a soup of debris within the lights of the Fleet ships, like light grey sand scattered through space, with far denser patches further ahead. She could almost imagine she could see the shape of the former asteroids that must have collided creating the debris spread. The collision couldn't have happened that long enough ago too given that the debris field hadn't been spread further by solar winds and gravitational influence of the asteroid field.
And she could see the distant asteroid field now. Far beyond the icy debris field, the asteroid field was a far larger collection of masses, forming a wall of uneven shapes. It was difficult to gauge distance with the naked eye, so she switched her attention back to the sensor data.
"The asteroid field is vast," she frowned at the edge of the sensor map which displayed the widening sensor scans. The asteroid field's closest edge showed as a mass of overlaid circles, ovals and dots, the sensors unable to discern some pieces of rock given the one direction of the scan. She had known the target asteroid field was big, massive enough to be detected from significant distance across the galaxy by Atlantis' Ancestral sensors, but to see the size of just this small part of it…it was almost unbelievable. And somewhere in there, hopefully, were Nalla and her team.
"Are we-" Halling started to ask, but a voice quickly interrupted him.
"Honoured Elite, the Sensor Platform Ship are sending audio link."
"Putting it through," Halling stated as he reached out, opening up the audio link between all the Hunt Fleet ships. "This is the Sythus."
"Sythus, Sensor Platform," Commander Teije's voice called loudly over audio link. "We have had to shelter in close within the formation to prevent damage to our more fragile sensors."
"Understood Commander," Halling replied.
"But we are detecting four deployed sensor satellites within the asteroid field ahead and they are responding to our ping call. We are receiving data from them."
"Four satellites, Nalla's team did well," Si noted, but Teyla saw the tension in his face. They'd not heard from Nalla yet, though considering the amount of rock and ice in the way out here, it could very well be that the Transport hadn't detected them yet.
"Can you detect the Transport within the asteroid field, Commander Teije?" Halling asked.
"No, Honoured Elite. However, the sensor satellites are in active communication with it, the Transport should now be aware of our arrival given the ping call."
"Hailing the Transport through subspace link," Jobrill stated, her hands moving over the communications system.
"Transport One, this is the Sythus," Halling called up into the air.
There was a long pause, and Teyla realised she was once again gripping tightly onto the edge of the display table.
"Sythus, this is Transport One," Inifee's voice replied after a beat.
Everyone around the table let out an audible sigh of relief.
"Report, Inifee," Halling asked quickly.
"We have deployed four sensor satellites so far and are currently sitting in an open band of space we've found further inside the asteroid field."
Teyla felt more relief settling through her body, but Nalla hadn't said anything yet, though given how long that team had been aboard the Transport she may be on a sleep shift.
"Is Nalla there?" Halling asked the question outright though.
"She is currently resting, Honour-"
"I am here," Nalla's voice cut in, and she sounded like she had indeed just woken up. "Are Si and Emmagan there?" Nalla asked quickly though, her voice unusually sharp.
"We are here, Nalla," Teyla replied as she exchanged a brief frown with Si across the table.
"Are you able to detect the Presence?" Nalla asked. "Are you detecting anything out here?"
Teyla saw Si shake his head, but she took a moment to centre herself and sink her full awareness into the place deep inside her where she could actively engage with her Gift. She dropped into that cold space…
And felt nothing.
"No," she blinked open her eyes and looked back to Si, but he again shook his head. "Neither of us can, but we are still a considerable distance away from you."
Nalla's disappointed sigh was obvious over the link.
"Nalla," Teyla asked, making sure her voice was calm. "Describe what it is you are detecting."
There was another sigh, this one sounding more tired than frustrated. Teyla wondered how much rest Nalla had had. Long bouts stuck in those Transports could be very draining mentally and physically, especially considering the back of that Transport had initially been packed full with the sensor satellites for deployment.
"It is definitely a web," Nalla began to explain, "something definitely alive, but very alien. It is difficult to focus on it, but I have been ensuring that I do not probe too much, just observing it and not doing anything that might alert it to our presence."
Teyla saw Si' worried frown across the table. She knew that their Seeker gifts were different from Nalla's people's own abilities, but she knew enough to know that what Nalla was describing could not be easy. Teyla had been in battle with the Wraith for very long periods, had had to shield herself from Wraith Queens before then attacking mentally as well as physically. It was a draining demand on the body and mind, but that had not involved as prolonged delicate a balance as Nalla was describing. Had she even slept?
"Has it changed in the last day, Nalla?" Si asked her.
"No," Nalla replied. "But, I am truly beginning to believe it is far further inside the asteroid field."
"That's good," Si replied. "That's something and useful."
"I just…I cannot risk looking any deeper at it."
"We understand," Teyla stated. "We are on our way to you. Where are you in the field?" She asked, dropping her attention to the display. More data was flooding in.
"Commander Teije?" Halling asked over the open link, all the Hunt Fleet linked in.
"We are getting excellent information in from the four satellites, and now have a fix on the Transport."
"Sensor Platform," an unidentified male voice added into the conversation, "I'm also sending you our observations and theories from the last day within the field." Ah, the Platform's specialist Technician on Nalla's team. "There are some very strange anomalies in this system. The asteroid field is actually an outer shell made up of various expansive layers around the distant lone star out in this area, the last solar system on the edge of this part of the galaxy. We've been able to detect shifts in the star's light to confirm at least one planet is in orbit around the distant sun and we don't believe it is a rocky world."
Teyla watched further scan data popping up, the four satellites feeding data to the Sensor Platform Ship and, from there, to the rest of the Hunt Fleet.
"We've got your readings on the starlight now," Commander Teije replied over the link, "The Ancestral information on this region provided by Atlantis notes there is a single gaseous planet in orbit of the star which matches your data."
"Yet the rest if the system is strange for there to have been only one planet in the system," the Technician replied. "It's possible that this massive asteroid field was formed from collisions of former planetary bodies, but there should have been some further gravitation influence here to have helped form the asteroid shell around the system in the first place. What we have discovered, is that the dense band of the asteroid field we arrived into, that you're seeing ahead of you, is not as thick as we had first feared. We have now made it through that layer to far more open space on the other side, with the far larger asteroid bodies and dwarf planets further apart, providing plenty of space to navigate between them. None of them are showing any heat readings or atmosphere so far, and their larger gravity fields have cleared the space around them of smaller rocks. Yet, despite all that, it appears that every single piece of rock in the field in this area has near identical rotation and speed that suggests a recent gravitational event."
"Where we just arrived," Si told the Technician, "there is a cloud of debris from ice asteroid collisions ahead."
"Yes, Honoured Elite, we detected that collision yesterday and we'd estimated you would arrive on the edge of the spreading debris."
"Yesterday?" Teyla questioned out loud.
"Yes, the activity in the asteroid field, especially in the busier outer band, is still pronounced and ongoing. We've detected multiple small collisions, but to work out what was the gravitational event that disturbed the field is going to take a lot of study."
"We are detecting the more open space you are currently in, Transport One," Commander Teije added and Teyla watched a new chart pop up, far larger in scale with the data now combined from the Fleet, Transport One and its deployed sensor satellites.
"We have the icy debris and the larger, dangerous outer band of asteroids in the field to get through to reach Transport One," Si pointed out.
"But with the Transport's sensor data, we could enact a tiny hyperspace jump to get into that more open space now we know it's there," Jobrill suggested.
"We're too enclosed by the ice debris to have enough space to open and get to a hyperspace window without damage," Halling shook his head.
"We could reverse, get away from this debris field and then open up a window?" Isen suggested.
"It's possible," Halling nodded. "But there is debris behind us as well, and a short hyperspace jump in such conditions is dangerous. We could overshoot into one of those larger asteroids and the unknown gravitational effect could distort our arrival. Once we're inside the system with more open space and can have visual confirmation of an arrival point maybe."
"In truth, the best way may be to cut our way through the ice debris and the outer band of the field," Commander Teije replied.
It would also, Teyla considered, provide them with a safer exit corridor out of the system if one was required.
"Easily done with the Fleet's weapons, then using Fighters to tow aside or destroy residual chunks and debris," Commander Ara added in from The Valse. "We did something similar in the Elys Belt within the Satedan solar system, when the asteroid mining programme began. Cut a path straight through."
"That will take time," Halling commented.
"We'd have to be cautious in the path as well, work around potential collision risks and the larger rocks in the outer band," Commander Teije added. "But entirely possible."
"However," Teyla pointed out what had to be obvious, "firing that many weapons and destroying parts of the outer asteroid field will not exactly be subtle. We would be announcing our presence rather loudly."
"And if the Skerti are in this field, we are painting a large target on our hulls," Jobrill muttered.
"Nothing is showing on sensors in the immediate area," Commander Ara stated. "If the Skerti are here, they are way outside sensor range. If their ships were hidden in the local field, we'd still detect some leakage of heat or energy readings surely."
Teyla considered that and the sensor data on the display table. "True, but we are currently unaware of the full extent of Skerti technology. They may be able to mask their ship or base readings, and we know their Seed Ships can jump vast distances. They could arrive here in an instant."
"Though, given how massive the asteroid field is," Halling considered, "they could be on the furthest side of the solar system and may not detect our work tunnelling through this area."
That was possible, Teyla had to concede, but it still felt risky. The chances of a silent approach, catching the Skerti unawares, would be unlikely now.
"I can maintain my observation of the Presence I am detecting," Nalla put in, "Report if I detect anything that suggests it becomes aware of us."
"Once we're through the outer band into the wider spaces," Teije added, "There will be considerably more space for the Fleet to deploy and scan deeper within the field."
"Opinions?" Halling requested.
"Ultimately, we are here to find the Skerti," Jobrill stated. "If they are hiding somewhere here, then our louder arrival could help flush them out sooner."
"The alternative is reversing to clearer space and then jumping away by hyperspace further around the solar system, gaining different perspectives of the asteroid field and any possible readings that could be the Skerti," Si considered.
"You would prefer us use hyperspace jumps to travel around the outside of the asteroid field?" Halling clarified from Si.
"No," Si shook his head with a smile. "But it is an option. As a priority, we need to collect Transport One, and that open area of space beyond the outer dense band will allow us to manoeuvre further into the solar system. Even if there are no Skerti in the asteroid field, we'll need to investigate the main distant part of the solar system. The gaseous planet may have a moon or two that could be where they are hiding."
"We'll be able to better investigate the dwarf plants in the asteroid field if we cut our way into the system," Isen gave his opinion from Teyla's far left. "Though the new motion acted on even the larger asteroids could still be risky if the Fleet ships move too close."
"Yes," Jobrill nodded. "But we can send Transports and Fighters for closer passes to the larger rocks and dwarf planets."
"Scan everything thoroughly," Teyla nodded. She considered the massive numbers of rocks on the chart just within sensor range of this small section of the field. Hundreds of thousands surely made up the vast field belt; searching them all could take months...perhaps years to check everything. And there was no guarantee that the Skerti were even here. "Being closer will also allow us to investigate the recent event that disrupted the asteroid field," she added.
"It would certainly provide us with more time and better data to study the gravitational event yes," Commander Teije agreed. "We can even take samples from some of the larger asteroids."
"And perhaps this Presence you are detecting Nalla," Si added, "will show itself."
"Perhaps," Nalla replied, her voice uncomfortably tired and pessimistic to Teyla's ears.
Teyla looked across to Si and they exchanged a silent look; they were both clearly in agreement that bringing Nalla back onboard as soon as possible was very important here. Not just because the Transport's mission as initial scout was complete, but Nalla clearly needed some psychic support. Teyla wasn't sure what she and Si could provide for her, but it was clearly required. And if the Presence did finally react to the Fleet, it was best that the Transport was not out there alone.
"Seifer?" Halling asked up into the audio link. "Your opinion?"
"I agree we need to tunnel our way into the larger asteroid field. If the Skerti, or something else, is here, we will likely need access into the solar system anyway. Let's do it now."
Along the tactical table's screens, Teyla saw Jorbill's fingers dancing over two screens, formulating the way forward and clearly in communication with people on the other Fleet ships.
"By our initial estimated calculations," Jobrill announced a moment later, "if we utilise main Fleet weapons and then use the Fighters for cleanup of the debris, we can get through to the open band with the Transport in…" Teyla saw Jorbill's face scrunch up before she looked up. "It will take us more than a day to reach you, Nalla."
Teyla frowned, worried at the timescale even though it wasn't that much further than what they had predicted moving ahead at sublight, but now she had heard Nalla's voice for herself, she was concerned.
"We are in a safe location for now," Nalla replied though, her voice firmer now. "We can wait more than a day; we were expecting to anyway."
Teyla saw Si frowning at Nalla's disembodied voice. "You could manoeuvre further out again to meet us sooner," Si suggested.
"It would mean us risking the flight back through the denser part of the field," Nalla replied though. "I doubt it would save that much time given you are unclear where you may emerge here until the path is cut. I suggest that we wait for you." Her voice moved slightly though with a faint question as her voice shifted, perhaps looking away to the rest of her team.
"We have plenty we can work on studying the asteroids ahead," the Technician from before added. "We can use the time very effectively, Honoured Elite."
"We will wait here for you Sythus," Nalla decided. "Coordinate with you as you move inwards and meet you once you are through to this open space."
"Very well," Halling nodded. "All ships to coordinate with us, set out each ship's plan, available Fighters, and we'll begin a way forward. We'll see you soon, Transport One."
"We will be here," Nalla replied, the first touch of humour to her tired voice.
0000
He'd gone to the Mind Healer session this afternoon, but Oneakka hadn't been all that happy about it. But he'd promised Meiyo he'd attend two sessions before she'd even consider allowing him back on non-battle rotation once he returned from his break away, and so he'd jump through the necessary medical hoops she required. Given he only had three days until he left for his holiday away, then only two days on his return until his appointment with Meiyo, it meant he'd had to fit one of the two Mind Healer sessions in before his break.
It had only been an hour session and he'd planned certain safe things to talk about, showing 'willing'. He'd used up a lot of the hour telling the Mind Healer about how he'd felt about failing his medical review; that had been safe territory because it was relevant and he'd pretty much processed it all now anyway. He explained clearly and calmly that it was just a delay, that he was confident he'd get back to full battle rotation, it was just going to take a little longer. He'd pointed out that he was seeing benefits from his new rehab recovery plan already, so that was helping him feel more positive about things. Of course the Mind Healer had probed about how he'd feel if he didn't ever return to battle-rotation, but he'd been prepared for that and had simply stated that he would just work from the Facility, as his mind was fine and he'd still be useful. She'd seemed to accept that.
It was true anyway; it wasn't like he'd been disabled by his injuries, as many unfortunate Elite were but most continued to work for the Elite in a different capacity. He still had value – he'd thought that was a good thing to say and the Mind Healer had seemed to approve.
And so the hour had gone by and he was free until the next one, which was weeks away. If Meiyo wanted him to just sit and talk about whatever he wanted for a couple of hours in order for him to get onto non-battle administration rotation, then it wasn't that difficult.
What he hadn't talked about in the session was Raven.
And the niggling bit of guilt about his intervention against Smee that had caused her to storm into his rehab session this morning.
He'd been a bit surprised that Smee had told her, and so quickly, but not surprised that she'd reacted like she was still a Security Lead, seeking out guilt and delivering punishment and threats. He'd managed to deal with it, and, as a significant side benefit, he'd also found out for certain that she clearly only saw Smee as a male friend. Something that Smee wasn't clear about, so Oneakka had taken the opportunity to let her know that pertinent fact.
She had looked rather thrown by that information, unusually flustered in fact as she'd retreated from the Rehab Gym. He suspected she'd have dealt with the problem with Smee immediately after she'd left, but he'd not communicated with her since today.
Best to let her regain her centre and have time to put that male in his place.
Oneakka winced at the flush of pleasure that thought gave him. But that was just because any male that Raven did eventually chose would have to be worthy of her, and clearly Smee was not worthy. After all, what the male should have done was confront Oneakka directly, not complain to Raven and expect her to solve his problems for him.
Weak male.
Definitely not worthy of her.
Feeling a little like a weight had been lifted off him with the day's events, Oneakka made his way through the Facility to the Canteen. It was again especially busy this evening, but a glance to the usual table revealed that Raven, Massa and Aki were all here already, eating their Late Meal. Oneakka headed for the food selection, his pad vibrating in his back pocket as he selected a tray. He pulled out the pad to see it was just the scheduling of his next Mind Healer appointment for the day after he returned from his break. He jabbed the confirmation, as Meiyo would no doubt be watching for it on his record, and slid the pad back into his pocket. Whatever, that next session would be once he was back, rested and considerably further recovered; and he'd have had two whole weeks away from Raven at that point.
He selected some hot stew, spooning it over a bed of puffy cooked succulent grains. There wasn't much in the pudding selection he liked this evening, but he picked out some mixed fruit with sweet iced paste on top. A cup of Raven's favourite Athosian tea added to the mix, he picked up his tray and headed for the table.
As he approached he could see that Aki had already eaten, Massa currently wiping clean the boy's face. Across from Aki, Raven looked up and noticed him approaching; her expression flinched and her gaze darted quickly down to her food.
He suspected that meant she'd had the conversation with Smee already then. Had found out he'd been right about the Security male's intentions.
He moved around the table to his usual chair next to her. "Evening," he said to them all.
"Oneakka," Massa grinned. "How was your Mind Healer session?" Typical of him.
"Fine," Oneakka supplied.
"Did you actually talk this time?" Massa asked.
"Of course," Oneakka replied as he picked up his fork and stirred some of the stew into the grains.
"Because I remember that one time you had a Mind Healer session and you just sat there for the full hour. He said absolutely nothing," Massa added to Raven. "Just refused to talk in protest at being forced to go."
"That was years ago," Oneakka frowned.
Raven muttered something that Oneakka didn't catch, but he'd heard the sharp edge to it.
"What was that?" He asked her.
"Nothing," she said without looking round at him. Someone wasn't happy.
Clearly her conversation with Smee hadn't gone well.
"Did you talk to Smee?" He asked her directly.
She looked round finally, her face tense. "I don't want to talk about it, Oneakka."
"So, yes?" He pushed because that clearly was the answer.
Her dark eyes narrowed at him. "It's none of your business."
Taken aback by that abrupt response, he frowned at her grumpy-edged look. "I thought so too until you stormed into my rehab session shouting at me."
"I didn't shout," she insisted in a low voice delivered through her teeth.
He should just leave it alone, change the subject and let her get over it…
"So I was right about Smee?" He asked anyway.
"I said I don't want to talk about it," she stated and looked down to her food, moving her fork through the remains of a salad and a few leftover broken croutons.
"So that means yes, I was right," he interpreted. "You're welcome."
He almost regretted it the second it was out of his mouth, but it was still true.
"Welcome?!" She blurted. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with my personal affairs?" She asked in a sharp sarcastic tone.
"I don't," he told her very firmly. "But you went and dragged me into them," he pointed out.
This was fast turning into another fight. He should shut it down like he had earlier, get control of the situation.
"I did not drag you into it," she insisted, eyes wide and angry. "That was your fault."
He frowned round at her. How was it his fault that Smee had misplaced intentions? She was the one who had made the big scene about it anyway.
"You interrupting my rehab session was my fault?" He asked, incredulous.
"You glaring at Smee and making him afraid for his life is your fault."
"Afraid for his life? That's an exaggeration, Raven," he scoffed as he looked back to his food.
"No, it's not," she pushed. "You still need to apologise to him."
He frowned at her again. Why was she again defending Smee's side in all this? He'd been the one to tell her about Smee's real intentions and this was the thanks he got? "Why should I apologise to him?"
She scoffed at him like he'd asked something truly stupid.
"I was the one who pointed out you needed to talk to him," he reminded her of the facts of the situation. "It's not my fault that I was right."
"You need to apologise to him because he's my friend and you shouldn't have gotten involved," she stated, her tone all condescending and playing the role of Security Lead that she wasn't anymore. However, she'd now finally provided the information he'd been after.
"Your friend, okay so you did have the conversation with him based on my intel," he smiled at her victoriously.
Her nostrils flared at she glared at him, her face flushed. "Why are you being so difficult?"
"I'm not the one who started shouting earlier and now starts a fight over Late Meal."
"I. Didn't. Shout," she insisted firmly, each word delivered separately and forcefully.
"You made a complete scene," he found himself exaggerating without thinking.
She dropped her fork onto her tray and crossed her hands through the air between them. "Right, from now on, you're not allowed to talk or look at any of my friends."
He screwed up his face at that complete overreaction.
"What?" He scoffed at her instruction.
"None of them, you stay separate from them," she glared, picking up her fork again and shoving it into the remains of her salad.
How had this gone from him providing her with useful information on Smee's intentions to this crazy fight?
"So I'm not allowed to talk to any of them?" He glared at her disbelievingly. Why was she being so weird today?
"Or 'look' at them as you apparently so innocently did to poor Smee."
Poor Smee?!
"What about Massa?" Oneakka gestured vaguely across the table in Massa's general direction. "Am I not allowed to talk to him?" He asked sarcastically. "What about Halling? Is that okay with you?"
"You know what I mean," she replied dismissively, unwilling to see the foolishness of her 'order'.
"No, I don't," he replied. "Because I was the one who helped you."
"No," she glared round at him. "You didn't help. You don't have to get involved in everything in my life, Oneakka."
What did that mean?
"You're the one who stormed into the Rehab Gym," he reminded her.
"I didn't storm in," she glared at him. "I walked calmly into that gym."
"Not from where I was looking."
"That's because you see everything as a fight," she countered, clearly flailing for insults now.
It was pretty clear that she was the one who had been looking for a fight with him this evening.
"Says the Pit Fighter," he retaliated, apparently unable to stop himself from giving her what she wanted.
Across the table, Aki abruptly let out a sobbing cry.
Oneakka snapped his attention across the table to the little boy, whose face was scrunched up, his little eyes full of tears as he started wailing loudly.
"It's okay, Little Warrior," Massa reached for his son, lifting him up out of the high seat. "It's okay."
"Look what you've done," Raven stated. "You upset everyone, Oneakka."
That hit strangely hard.
"I think maybe you should calm down a bit, Raven," he told her as Aki' cries reduced to a low grizzle on the other side of the table as Massa comforted the boy.
"Don't talk to me like I'm a child, Oneakka!" She countered though.
He should really stop this…
"I'm just saying there's no need to get all flustered again-" he tried.
"I did not get flustered," she glared at him; he'd hit another nerve there apparently.
"You were something," he rallied back.
He needed to get control of things here.
She looked away from him with a loud frustrated sigh and then forced her face into a very fake smile across the table to Massa. "You'll have to excuse me, I've had enough to eat and need some space." She pushed back her chair, clearly intending to leave.
She still had half her meal left.
"We've got our meeting with Neligan after Late Meal," Oneakka reminded her.
She stood up, her jaw tightly clenched as she met his eyes. "I'll meet with him another day."
"We agreed this evening to talk about weaning the goatlings," he argued up at her.
"Then you go talk to him."
"I will then," he said angrily, unsure why. "We'll sort the goatlings without you."
"I'll talk to Neligan myself about Splodge's weaning."
He frowned up at her. "What in a completely different way to the rest of the goatlings? That's not realistic."
She narrowed her eyes down at him, her cheeks flushed even redder.
How had they even gotten into this fight? He wasn't even sure what the fight was actually about.
"Good evening, Massa, Aki," she said across the table and then walked away.
"Your-" He reached out to pick up her jacket which she'd left on the back of her chair, but she stepped back and abruptly snatched the jacket up aggressively before he could pick it up.
He held his hands up and away as she strode past behind his chair and then away through the Canteen.
What had happened?
He watched her striding away towards the exit with an angry forceful stride.
His heart was hammering in his chest, a small panicky feeling mixing in with the angry confusion.
She disappeared out of the Canteen's exit.
He waited a beat to see if she'd come back in, having changed her mind, but she didn't.
He dropped his attention down to his food but didn't feel all that hungry anymore.
He glanced up to Massa across from him.
Massa was sat back in his chair, Aki against his shoulder, and his dark eyebrows high up on his forehead. "What was that about?" Massa asked, clearly as shocked at that rapid out-of-nowhere fight.
"She's gone crazy today," Oneakka blurted.
"What did you do to Smee?" Massa asked.
"I didn't do anything to Smee," Oneakka insisted hotly. Smee was the one who'd had intentions outside of what Raven wanted.
Massa gave him a suspicious look. "What did you do?" He pushed.
Oneakka opened his mouth to say he'd done nothing, but that wasn't strictly true was it. "It's not my fault if Smee wasn't honest with her."
"Honest with her about what?" Massa asked, clearly confused. Good, because that was the appropriate response to this evening's madness.
"Apparently they'd talked about being friends only, but Smee has other intentions."
"Yes, I've got eyes," Massa laughed briefly.
"Thank you," Oneakka smiled at that clear confirmation. "But she didn't see it; Big Security Lead, apparent expert in reading people."
"Oh," Massa said with feeling. "And you were the one to tell her about Smee's further intentions."
"Apparently not blaming the messenger of unwanted information is advice Raven doesn't know about," Oneakka shoved his fork into his stew and chewed on a big mouthful of it, though it tasted a little dry.
"So did you sit down with her and have a calm conversation, letting her know that she might have missed that piece of information about her friend Smee?" Massa's tone said he already knew that hadn't been the method.
Oneakka focused on another forkful of his meal. Calm conversation with her about something like personal feelings? No, they didn't do that.
It might lead to awkward and unwanted questions about his part in it all.
About that line between them that they went nowhere near and never talked about.
"No, of course that's not how you two do anything," Massa answered his own question. "I imagine instead there was the shouting, storming and making a scene you mentioned to her?"
"All on her part," Oneakka pointed out the salient fact.
"Which you clearly and repeatedly pointed out to her just now," Massa said with a reproachful tone.
Oneakka glared at him. "Because that's what happened."
"You embarrassed her."
Oneakka blinked at that statement. "What?"
He struggled to merge the description of 'embarrassed' with Raven; a female who always spoke her mind directly. Who had once asked him if he had a deformed penis because he didn't want her helping him into the bathroom during his recovery!
"That's not it," he dismissed Massa's theory.
"She was clearly uncomfortable with the subject, said she didn't want to talk about it, but you kept pushing."
A little traitorous niggle of doubt stirred in amongst the shocked angrier feelings.
"She just wanted to pick a fight."
"Looked like you were both pretty keen to get into it."
Oneakka glared at that conclusion.
"The fight, I mean," Massa felt the need to clarify with an insinuating smile.
Oneakka narrowed his eyes at him.
"You need to apologise," Massa added, fortunately dropping the smile.
"She was the one who stormed – interrupted – my rehab session to accuse me of things," Oneakka argued.
Massa lifted one eyebrow. "So you're completely innocent in all of this, are you?"
Oneakka glanced away, unable to hold his old friend's gaze. He reached for his tea, focusing on taking a sip.
Admittedly he probably shouldn't have silently warned off Smee yesterday, not because the point hadn't been valid, but it had clearly upset Raven's life. Of course it wasn't his fault that she'd reacted the way she had, going all Security Lead on him like a criminal when it had actually been that he'd had important information for her…like a criminal informant. He frowned at that bizarre comparison.
He only had three days until his break away…just three days. The countdown was definitely becoming a mantra through these last days.
Things had gotten very confusing with Raven lately; another reason why the line had to be held.
Why him getting back on rotation of any sort was vitally important.
Because it was starting to feel like every day recently was a validation that a Pit Fighter and an Elite Warrior would just never work as a combination.
But he'd not wanted to embarrass her.
The former lingering guilt grew a little bigger, anger and resentment moving aside for it to take hold.
He hadn't meant to upset her; he'd just been trying to help her see the truth about Smee.
Maybe he should go and talk to her, explain that he hadn't meant to embarrass her, but he quickly thought the better of that.
Clearly when their emotions were high, they weren't good around each other.
And the wrong things might get said.
He took another sip of tea and glanced off towards the exit where she had disappeared.
Just three days to go...
She'd cool down in that time, wouldn't she?
000000
TBC