4
Ianto was checking the hold again, knowing they were packed to the gunnels, with the second hold clear for the other colony that wanted to tag along. As long as they had the credits, they were not going to say no.
He exited to find Jack waiting in the main landing bay "Ianto, she's shit stirring again."
"And I am done with it" Ianto huffed, "I think we have waited too long as it is for them to come up with their credits as agreed. If they are still going to dicker over the price we agreed, we will sell to someone else. My stress level are through the roof, I don't wanna kill someone, but I will!"
Jack nodded as he tried not to grimace as his mate's dark humour heading with Ianto to face the ringleader of the 'others' and her weird idea that she was superior somehow.
.
.
"And I am asking for the last time… do you or do you not, have the credits to pay for the stock you want to keep from our percentage" Ianto asked calmly.
"We will have… we need more time" Gwen replied.
"No. Time's up. We already extended this twice… no more. If you can not pay for them that's fine. They can go to market" Andy said with more confidence than he felt, those with them humming in their agreement as Gwen rose angrily.
"I will go tell MY people and we shall see!" she spat.
"Is that a threat? Gwen, are you seriously threatening us because we do not want to be screwed over for our own stock?" Jack was shocked, openly so.
Gwen stormed from the room.
"Right. I am done with this shit" Mickey rose from the chair he had been lazing in "I am going to swing the transporter around and start loading up those with red ear tags. We can sell them in town and make credits for fuel."
Blue ear tags were already in the pen now ready to board the vessel, yellow tags the percentage that matched to the stayers and the red tags where those of the Leaver's percentage that they were not going to take with them. Despite repeated assurances that the Stayers would pay a good price, it was now starting to look like they wanted to lowball them.
Nope.
They needed those credits, the three planetary options for colonization were all expensive and with time growing tight, they needed to get gone.
They exited the meeting house to find those outside openly arguing amongst themselves and Jack roared for silence.
"Look… clearly the Stayers do not have the coin and we are willing to leave the animals they can pay for, those left will be sold in town. We need the coin; you know we do. We will not be screwed over by our own family just because Gwen says so!" Jack roared out.
"What do you mean, we don't have the coin!" came the angered reply from Stanley "We have our figures, know we can afford the price already negotiated, why are we having to renegotiate?"
"Ask Gwen. She is refusing to pay the amount agreed at the meeting, she is now trying to make us accept only half and we are insulted that you would all think we are so easy" Andy pointed at her, his anger thrumming. "Are we not all family here?"
Gwen found herself with a face full of angry Stayers who had no idea she was trying to do this when the agreement had been made by all, agreed to by vote and she was NOT their leader. Apparently, she had not even anticipated this, thinking that she was their boss now.
"We will vote on a council, all will have a say. We will not have a Boss… and even if we did it would not be one who repeatedly tells us that Ianto and Jack are lying to us, despite the others also bringing back the whispers" someone shouted, then added "I change my stance. I wanna go. Come on mother, let's pack and get a berth. I do not feel safe here. I want my animals moved!"
"Oh shit" Ianto said softly as another two turned to follow, Gwen's group of eighteen shrinking to fourteen. Rhys stood glowering at her as he shook his head.
"Well… well… I don't like this" she grumbled. "Why are you not all listening to me?"
"Me and Annie are coming with" Rhys suddenly blurted as Gwen gasped.
"No, you can't take my daughter!" she said with horror, the little one in question already running to get her favourite dolly for the ride.
"She is MY daughter. Remember you got yourself sterilized as you didn't want childbirth. I got her via me sister and now she is here, my job is to protect her and I am leaving." Rhys replied as Gwen slumped.
"Fine. We well go" she huffed.
"Hang on a second" came an angry growl from the other end of the room, one of the Stayers approaching "You want to go now? Leave? Age all the shit you spouted at us about staying, all the nasty shit you spat at the Leavers?"
"And what is to say we want you on our boat?" Martha asked folding her arms defiantly as Ianto watch on with silent amusement.
"What?" Gwen shrieked.
"You know what Gwen; you are so fucking twisted and changeable I wonder sometimes if your mutant power is glimmering. I don't think you know who the fuck you even are!" Rhys roared then started to walk away "Stay. Be the Big I Am. I am taking my daughter and getting out of here."
Ianto was not listening anymore, already heading for the phone to start the phone tree calling family home, by this time tomorrow there would be at least… hopefully… a hundred plus people onboard, ready to fly and scoop up the other small colony along the way. Sixty-five to seventy more Mutants would soon join them to jump off this rock, on their way to a new life.
And Gwen would finally be out of his hair.
Her affair with Jack still lingering there despite the fact he had atoned, and Ianto had forgiven him… he had not forgiven her. Sure, it had been a pre-bonding when they were still freshly dating again after an agreed break from bonding and not an item but still… she tried to use it at every turn like some sort of weapon. Jack's inability to keep it in his pants something Ianto could never really accept even if he did always eventually forgive, and it was the one thing that crumbled the cornerstone of their relationship time and time again.
Ianto just wanted her gone.
And there was not better way by making them gone instead.