[center] [h3][b][color=00ff00]Jack Mallory, X.O.[/color][/b][/h3] [/center]

Jack blinked, his face wooden. He never expected the captain to undercut his position like this. He came to attention, snapping his heels together.

"As you command," he said, saluting, the old familiar routines coming back to him. "You have the deck and the conn, I stand relieved."

Of course, saluting was not something the Captain's people did. Jack dropped the salute, then spun around with military precision to face the bridge hatch. Opening it, he stepped through and closed it behind him waiting to hear the click of the hatch securing itself. Pain briefly flashed across his face before it firmed. 

It was the Fox and Aries Base all over again. 

His first step faltered a bit, then he steadied as he headed towards the midships airlock. 


The security force, such as it was, was waiting for him by the shuttle hatch. "Captain's orders," he said, his lips thin. If they hadn't heard now, they would soon. He'd been reduced to an errand boy. How many of them would try to gang up on him this time, he wondered? 

"Stand by. If we have a situation, rescue Itxaro and Vigdis, that's an order."

Who knows if they would obey it, but Itxaro and Vigdis were necessary for the crew's survival. This wasn't Earth, who knows what sort of messy local situation was going on out there, with them dropped right in the middle?

Slipping into the airlock, he grabbed one of the respirator masks and checked the filters, then slipped it on, adjusting the straps. Holding his hands over the intakes, he sucked in air and felt the mask clamp down on his face, properly sealed. He then checked his pistol, confirming it was loaded with the safety on before slipping it back into its holster.

Cycling the airlock, he stepped into the hanger and looked around it. The hanger was the second-largest compartment on the ship, it would definitely do to temporarily house the civilians. He might even get his cabin back, but the bunk would probably wind up in here. 

He made his way to the forward bulkhead until he found the gap the other two must have used to slip outside, and gingerly made his way through to the outside.

The sunlight was so bright, he blinked for a few moments waiting for his eyes to adjust, then saw Itxaro and Vigdis standing further down on the hull with more locals. 

What was wrong with these two? Were they so enamored about being on an alien planet with several forms of intelligent life that they forgot how dangerous it was? The risks they were taking not notifying anyone that they were out here, exposed except for Ezra's rifle and drones? What if that Silbermine character decided to take one of them hostage? He didn't have to imagine what sort of damage those antlers would inflict on frail human bodies.

And Itxaro, he could be sure, would relish him coming out here, defying his authority, oblivious to the danger she was putting them all in.

"Itxaro, Vigdis," he called out, his voice flat and slightly muffled by the mask but coming in clear through the headset. He wasn't happy. "What's going on, here?"