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Who: John Sheppard, Ianto Jones & TJ!
What: ~~Florida~~ California Man introduces air-force medic to his roommate
When: Early in the month, when the new folk are waking up!
Where: Mess hall!
Warning(s): N/A

John had deferred the giant mech adventure for now -- since TJ was new and all, and it seemed like there was probably a lot of context and... general local information that might be beneficial to go over before plunging down in a time-frozen dystopia to tidy up after a dragon.

He's been evasive, which he feels a little bad about but overall he's not... quite sure he wants to open with 'oh, yeah, I was a branch of the US military which did space travel' right off the bat. It's meant to be classified, and sure he's... reasonably sure all that stuff no longer applies when Earth, New Lantea and probably all the other off-world bases have been eaten by the storm but --

But it's just such a long conversation, and people ask questions and he's tired and just wants to be normal for five minutes. So he's briefly mentioned Antarctica, Afghanistan, a vague summary of how he's flown in every continent and is currently idly going through 'my first adventure with the Natha' over a cup of tea and a plate of cheesy fries.

"So they finally beam us down to the planet," John is saying, "And this guy Voss is giving this twenty minute speech on how the Light of Thesa is a blessing or something and Thesa is a goddess who watches over them -- and I'm pretty sure the light is the teleport. But -- we're not meant to say, right? We've got to blend in. Pretend we're just local refugees even if we're all mismatched and weird. So --"

He pauses to take a sip of his drink, then something in his expression changes and he begins waving at someone behind TJ.

"Hey! There you are! TJ, this is Ianto Jones! Ianto, First Lieutenant Tamara Johansen -- Air Force. I was just giving her the delightful story of our first adventure out on the surface." Which was... definitely memorable, but John hasn't actually gone over all the more memorable bits and was probably planning to skip those. He glances back at TJ and flicks an idle smile. "Ianto's my roommate, he's in charge of telling me no. Ianto, sit!"

Apparently the 'no' part doesn't apply to things like diet choices. So Ianto should join them and eat more cheesy fries! They're in the middle of the table for a reason.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I think they've gotta like you more before you get anything more interesting. You know, like your own personal giant robot."

Or whatever else it is the Natha give people they like. Access, he thinks? To more important parts of the ship? Anyway, the point is they just gave him a gun and it's not very exciting. Even an espresso machine would be more interesting! Espresso also brings all the ladies to the yard, apparently. He looks between TJ and Ianto hesitantly.

"Why do I feel like I'm watching myself being replaced?"

Ianto reaches out and offers John a consoling pat on the arm. Don't worry, John. She's very charming and obviously they're getting along quite well, but he's still very fond of you too. In case you'd forgotten.

"Don't worry, as my roommate, you'll be the first served you own Ianto Jones special," he reassures the other man with a smile, before glancing aside at TJ. "Though you're welcome to come over for a cup as well. I can't promise I'll have much in the way of ingredients for anything fancy." It depends on what they decide to give him with his machine, or how much money he's got saved up by that point. "But I'm sure this place should be able to spare a little cream and sugar, if nothing else?"

Honestly, TJ has no actual interest in breaking up whatever it is the two men have between them and she holds up her hands in a gesture of surrender as Ianto pats John's arm in that gesture of consolation.

"I'm just trying to make friends," she tells him, her tone as sincere as she can possibly make it. "That and your military background, I was hoping for a heads up on anything else you might know. Any other military types? Is there a command structure of some sort?" Do they all just fend for themselves? He does outrank her, after all.

She looks over at Ianto and, still trying to make sure she's not stepping on any New Friend toes, adds, "I'll be grateful for anything, if you wanna share it."

John rolls his eyes and shoves the plate of fries an inch closer to Ianto again.

"Don't worry about it," he says to TJ, "I've changed my mind. You can have him for free."

Goodbye, Ianto Jones, you were a good roommate for a short period of time.

"Anyway, it's all a little spread out. People from all different structures and places. There's no real command because it doesn't all fit together and nobody recognises each other. Loosely we all come under Darma but not everyone likes or agrees with the Natha, so in reality it's a 'The rules are more like guidelines' sort of situation. There's a whole heap of civilians here, and some of them are more than willing to step back and take instruction in a crisis but some want to try and help -- to varying degrees of effectiveness. There's also an attrition rate here on refugees. We'll wake up, learn all the rules, get to know people and then you'll see them bounced back into the stasis pods. I'm fuzzy on the why -- if it's the Natha actually restraining them or, if as they imply it's something to do with this mysterious Storm. I'm not the right guy for science, though. If you want science you'll need to persuade them to wake up McKay."

Wow, John, after he offered you a 'Ianto Jones special' and everything? He's wounded. Ianto makes a face at the other man and steals a few more fries from the plate just for that. John did push it closer to him again, after all.

Her question is obviously directed at John and he sits back and lets the other man field it, swiping a few more fries as he listens to John's response. It really is a sort of military mindset, to be fresh out of a pod and looking for some sort of structure or chain of command to follow. He doesn't know what it says about himself that he'd always assumed from the start they would be on their own to figure it out for themselves. Perhaps it's his lack of military training. Or perhaps it's what his experience from Torchwood has taught.

"The natives have a king and queen," he points out. "Of Wyver and Olympia, respectively. But it's a bit more of a free for all amongst the rest of us. The Natha only brought us here," he points out. "They expect us to behave, and yes, I'm pretty sure they could put us right back where we came from if we don't, but there's hardly a structure to it beyond that." He glances aside at John. "It’s anyone’s guess when a person will wake up and no use asking the Natha themselves. I’ve certainly never gotten anywhere with that myself.” Though granted it had been about the pterodactyl but still. “You’re just going to have to wait for your grumpy Canadian scientist like everyone else.”

For the most part, TJ was following along on what John was saying, right up until he said that if she wanted science, she'd have to get them to wake up McKay. She'd only ever heard of one McKay attached to the Air Force and the man wasn't a member of it. He was a Canadian, but he was a scientist and it struck her as odd that John would pick such a random name.

That confusion shows on her face and she turns to let Ianto fill her in on the royalty and nobility of the people below and then he confirms what had just gone through her head: McKay, to the two of them, is a Canadian scientist. A grumpy one.

"Wait. Do you mean Rodney McKay?" Because that man, as far as she knows, is nowhere near Earth and hasn't been for years, which mean John Sheppard isn't an Air Force Colonel stationed on Earth, either.

Half way through stealing himself some more of the fries John stops, looks up and squints.

"Yeah," he says, and he sounds faintly surprised. "Where did you meet him? I'm guessing not Russia, so, Area 51? NORAD? McMurdo?"

Since it could be any of the above, after all. McKay has done a lot of work on the Stargate programme but he's also done other things, technically. It's also possible TJ met him in a social context, although the thought is a little... weird. McKay is not exactly an expert on mastering social situations. John shoots Ianto a sideways frown that says I'm not sure where this is going either and shoves some fries in his mouth before looking back at TJ.

Ianto glances between the pair of them, surprised at the fact that the name should ring any particular bells with TJ herself. From what little he's heard about Rodney (which albeit isn't much), he doesn't seem to be like the Air Force sort, but. Stranger things have happened, he supposes.

At least John doesn't seem to understand it either, he thinks to himself. The idea that the pair of them are from -- the same world feels a bit odd to think about, they're all from Earth technically, but at least the same place. It makes him feel a bit odd and suddenly that much further out of place. As if he really doesn't belong here in this conversation between two service members who may in fact have more of a connection with each other than simply just that.

"Russia?" Ianto asks, mostly because it's the only name on the list that isn't a military base of some sort.

As soon as the words are out of her mouth, TJ knows she should have kept it to herself. Honestly, there are probably a dozen people named McKay who've worked with the Air Force - even if this one is specifically a grumpy Canadian scientist - and as much of a coincidence as it might have been, even she recognizes that it's probably not.

"Colorado," she answers, then reaches for a fry, before sliding Ianto another glance, mostly because John did. Ianto seems to be the anchor of the two of them and she really doesn't want to alienate either of them because, well, they've been really nice. "I haven't seen him in years, though. Probably just a coincidence."

Saying it didn't really help. She'd been assigned to the program in 2005 and had been on various missions and places since, which meant their paths hadn't crossed except that once.

Colorado. There's no doubt in John's mind this is definitely not a coincidence. Five years ago, though? John squints, trying to turn his mind back five years, and glances over to Ianto again.

"McKay did some work for the Russians. Siberia, I think? He got around a lot before he settled."

Settled in Atlantis, that is. John turns back his attention to TJ and squints at her critically. This is like a game now, who blinks first. He sips his tea slowly.

"Five years ago? Do you know who he was working under in Colorado?"

What was five years ago for her, for that matter? Who was in charge of the SGC? Was it Hammond? Was it O'Neill? Or was it Landry by then? It's hard to guess, given the fuzziness of timeliness here.

Siberia. Ianto thinks about making a joke about him being Canadian and used to the cold, but mostly he's just bewildered by the fact that the pair of them know the same man and are therefore connected by this fact.

"Colorado," Ianto echoes, like it should mean anything to him. It doesn't really, except that he's pretty sure McKay's been spending most of his time far, far away from Colorado as of late. And Earth itself, for that matter. How long has John been on this mission, has he said? He studies John's face for any sign of recognition before turning to TJ again.

"Time works strangely in this place," he explains. "Five years ago for you might be different than what it was for me, versus what it was for John." He glances aside at the other man, before asking her, "What were you doing in Colorado, then? To have run into McKay there?"

Knowing who was in charge in Colorado five years ago and knowing who was in charge that brief moment she'd met McKay - he'd been staring at a colleague of hers - are two different questions and she hesitates a moment too long before she gives an answer that's not really an answer. Choosing to focus on Ianto's statement, she side-eyes John before focusing on his friend.

"I've heard a little bit about different times, and I've been trying to pin down what year it is here," she admits. "It was early 2011 for me and I hadn't been in Colorado since the middle of 2008. I saw McKay a few years before that. He's a funny guy. I heard he was doing something else, but I never got specifics." Not exactly.

She lifts a shoulder in an attempt to be nonchalant. Turning back to John, she asks, "So, how'd you meet him?"

John recognises a classic redirection when he sees one. He takes another sip of his drink and smiles, leans sideways toward Ianto and glances up at him.

"Is that what it's like trying to have a conversation with me?"

Struggling to get a straight answer all the time. He focuses back on TJ and settles into his chair a little deeper, amused.

"I was helping General O'Neill with something," he answers anyway, because he's still not really giving anything away but also -- if she knows the name then she probably knows what he might have been helping with. "Are we playing security clearance one-up here?"

Ianto raises his eyebrows at the question, offering John a helpless little shrug as he does. If he's asking the question, he probably knows the answer already anyway. Of course it is. In fact, he can be worse at times. At least she's answering in full sentences.

He glances between the pair of them, taking another sip of his coffee and wondering how long this is going to go on. This dodging of the truth when he's got a feeling that they both might know more about each other's jobs than they're willing to let on. He just hopes that doesn't mean anything's happened to John, in the future. Rodney 'doing something else' would lead him to believe otherwise, though.

"It seems you are, a bit," he replies. "For the record, I'm pretty sure my clearance levels would have included your lot, so you really don't need to worry about me. Assuming the pair of you do the same thing. But if you were in the same circles as Rodney McKay," he points out levelly, "who just happened to come to work on the same project as John here, then I think you both know and we might be able to stop playing twenty questions, yeah?"

He raises his coffee again, raising an eyebrow at the pair of them over the rim of his mug. There. He hasn't given away your secrets in so many words, John, but who knows how long this dance could go on and he'd rather not be dragged along as an awkward third.

As soon as John mentioned Colonel O'Neill, TJ was ready to give up. He'd said the name, which meant he was from exactly where she'd thought they were both from and that meant that, well. Ianto likely knew and... well, Ianto only confirmed it.

He just looked so amused by the whole thing and that just made her smile.

"I have to admit," she says to Ianto before anything else, "I am curious about your security levels." And then she turns to look at John. "But you're the Colonel, so no security one-up here. You're the boss. Sir." Hands spread wide, she sits back, too. "I only met him once. From there, I was transferred to the Icarus Base."

She's not sure what he's aware of regarding it's destruction or the people that went through the gate from there.

"Icarus Base!" John snaps his fingers, triumphant, and takes a victory sip of his tea. "P4X-351, right? I was out in Atlantis with McKay. You know, doing our own thing kinda -- but I did work out of the SGC for a little bit once. Kinda a long story. Anyway -- Ianto's security clearance is miniature Home-world Security, Cardiff. Kinda like -- a field operations division, it sounds like?"

He squints at Ianto questioningly, then shrugs back at TJ.

"So far as I can tell, we're all on a space station anyway so it doesn't seem like a big deal to admit things. It's probably just better to vague out the details until you're sure about people, in case the Natha wake up some bad-guys who are in the mood for revenge."

You know, The Trust, Goa'uld, any person who particularly hated the SGC or any of its affiliates. Of which... there are plenty of people.

He meets John’s questioning glance and offers him a little shrug of his own. Miniature though, really? “We’re all home-world, where I’m from. For the most part anyway,” he has to amend, because well the Doctor stealing off the odd traveler here and there should hardly count.

“Anyway that’s besides the point,” he continues. “I know something about Atlantis but what’s Icarus then?” He glances between the pair of them again. Is he allowed to talk about what you do now, John? After a lead-in like that, he hopes so, because he’s going to go on to ask, “Don’t tell me you’ve got another flying city out there somewhere.”

John may have failed to explain some of the basics of Stargate operations to Ianto so far. Like the gates themselves for example.

TJ's enemy of, well not choice, but still. It's the Lucian Alliance. They're the baddies.

When Ianto says he knows something about Atlantis, that means that John trusts him enough to tell him what he does and, as he's the de facto boss, that means that TJ can trust him, too. So, the question about Icarus isn't unexpected and TJ nods as she tosses John a quick glance for approval before smiling and nodding.

"Not a flying city. It doesn't even exist anymore, actually. There's a group, the Lucian Alliance, and the planet the base was on..." She stops there and takes a breath. "It blew up. It was volatile and the gate there, it was meant to be used to dial a nine-chevron address. That's what our scientist did instead of dialing Earth and." She shrugs and spreads her hands open. "We've spent the last two years stranded on a ship moving billions of miles away from Earth."

Unfortunately, her assumption is that if John's talking about Atlantis, he's talking about the gates, too.

Ah, the Lucian Alliance. John nods, frowning as he tries to recall what he knows about them. What might motivate them to... blow up a planet entirely.

He squints at her, pressing his lips together.

"They had a lot of Naquadria there," he says finally, half glancing between TJ and Ianto. "That's pretty explosive. How many did they manage to evacuate?"

Maybe everyone, but John isn't expecting that. It's why he asks how many instead. He can feel Ianto's curiosity welling up beside him and shoots him an idly quelling look -- yes, he knows you have a hundred questions Ianto. They'll get there.

Edited (when you click the wrong icon somehow and the mood is super wrong) 2018-08-13 21:17 (UTC)

A gate with a nine-chevron address. Dialing? Naquadria... He tries to sort through what he can understand at least. That the base blew up -- the planet it was on blew up -- was blown up by some group known as the Lucian Alliance? And now she and whatever survivors are now stranded on a ship that seems to be moving in the wrong direction.

He catches that look from John and shoots him a look in return. Listen, he really doesn't want to interrupt this important information exchange between the pair of you either but. Throw him a line. You're not even explaining the things you're saying now.

Restraining himself as best he can, Ianto takes another sip of his coffee before asking, "Was there some particular reason that this Lucian Alliance was targeting you, then, or...?"

"By dialing the gate." She does her best to explain the basics without throwing a certain someone under the bus too much, no matter how she feels about the situation. "Rush, the guy in charge of trying to dial the ninth chevron, was told to dial Earth and he didn't. He decided to take the one chance he had to dial the address he had and..."

TJ trails off and looks at Ianto. "They wanted control of the planet and the gate that was on it. Dialing that address would have given them control of the ship we ended up on and, eventually, they found a way onto it from another entrance point. They tried to take it over with someone from the SGC's help."

She doesn't want to talk about it, really, and so she goes back to John's last question. "Around eighty of us made it to the ship. The Destiny. It was an Ancient ship." And then, because she honestly doesn't know how much Ianto knows, she clarifies. "The aliens, not the time frame."

"The stuff my gene works on," John adds, "Like the little scanner." Then he turns to squint at TJ. "Guess it must have been a pretty special ship if the Lucian Alliance went to all that trouble. Did you have a carrier with you? To get it working, I mean. Or someone who had been given the gene therapy?"

Since presumably on an Ancient ship you'd... need someone with the gene to be able to get into the systems and take control? Unless it was, weirdly, all activated already? John has been on mostly-abandoned ancient ships before, even if they were nothing like Destiny he's still picturing it like that. Like the Aurora or something. Brightly lit, with cryo-chambers maybe. If they'd been dialled into some bigger version of that with it's own gate then... well, presumably they'd be aiming to take control and grind it to a halt so they could re-synchronise the gate and dial back, right? Or at least turn it around and begin making jumps to somewhere they could dial back from.

The Ancients. Right. Ianto understands that John's ability isn't supposed to work on more all the technology that it does. Ancient technology. A carrier? That must be what they call John, then. He's doing his best to follow along but all this talk of dialing gates and chevrons has his head spinning. At least he can deduce that it must be -- some method of traveling? Getting the address right, she had said after all. Dialing the address. Ending up on a ship.

"Must be pretty big ship then too, to fit eighty people on board," he hazards, glancing aside at John. Looking to him for assistance. What is a gate, anyway? He really should have asked more questions about the logistics of John's research mission than he has, come to think of it.

"Actually," she tells Ianto, eyes widening, "the ship could have comfortably held another hundred or more people. It was huge. There were parts of it we never got to explore because they were damaged. The hull was open to space and the shields were down. That kind of thing."

Taking a breath, she tips her head to the side and contemplates John. "You're a carrier of the ATA gene?" Shaking her head, she takes a drink from her cup. "The ship worked as soon as we started touching things, really. It didn't matter who or what, though I'm guessing that most of the people that were known carriers of the gene had already been shipped off to, uh." She glances at Ianto before looking back at John. "With you guys. With us, it didn't matter. We had to survive with what we could get through the gate - people, supplies, anything we could get our hands on - while the Lucian Alliance was attacking. We had six minutes."

She lifts her shoulders and sighs. "We lost a lot of personnel before we got on board and lost a few more over the last year and a half. Now this. I'm not sure what's next."

"Actually we only had like two carriers to begin with and apparently I was the prettiest or something, so things liked me better. We stole one or two more later, so if that was all of them then sorry about that. I only have so many hands to make things light up with."

He takes a deep breath, squints around the table, at TJ then sideways at Ianto.

"Got a pencil and paper?"

This seems like a pencil and paper sort of situation.

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