continued from bakerstreet due to captcha

[commanderforehead]

(continued from here)

I did some digging of my own and found out the Orchid made a stop on Thetis Prime before coming here, and Thetis Prime has just made some 'incredible archaeological discoveries'. It could be nothing, but it's just an hour ride by transport away.

Doctor Urvidian just got back to work from his little forced three month vacation so he doesn't want to leave the med bay, and Jane just said 'I'm not going to prison' when I told her where we were going. So that leaves you.

[And obviously Levi can't leave the station, though Akmazian ranks slightly higher than Levi on 'people already in the know who Ryan would be okay being stuck with for 48 hours'.]

Comments

[cargobay]

[ oh, it is absolutely intentional. ]

My ship runs just fine, too, you know- if you don't wanna risk getting stuck out there.

[commanderforehead]

The pirate ship

[cargobay]

You're going to hurt her feelings.

1/2

[commanderforehead]

I'd hate to impose on your alone time with 'her' in that case.

2/2

[commanderforehead]

... if you think the Rainy Wind or whatever can get us there and back safely, then yes it would probably be our best option.

[cargobay]

Oh, come on, you know her name. Yes, she will get us there and back safely. Just let me know when you're ready to go.

[ and, similarly, he's pretty sure that ryan is intentionally needling him with the ship name, too. ]

[commanderforehead]

[You can't prove anything, Robin of Locksley.]

I'm just getting the last of a portable med kit together. I can meet you in your cargo bay in 15.

[cargobay]

See you when you get here, then. ;-)

[ which, you know. if he uses that fifteen minutes to comb his fingers through his hair, check his teeth for anything that might be in them, and change into a slightly more flattering top, it totally has nothing at all to do with the company he's going to be keeping for the next little while. nothing. at. all. ]

[commanderforehead]

[Just a coincidence, to be sure.

Ryan of course is more concerned with making sure the go bag has everything he’ll need. It doesn’t, it can’t, there’s a lot of large equipment in the actual medical facilities that can’t be miniaturized and he’s well aware that he probably (hopefully) won’t need anything he’s bringing. Ideally there shouldn’t be any danger there at all.

Ideally.

It isn’t paranoia if they’re really after you.

He looks at the time, sighs, decides this is the best he’s going to get and heads out with the med kit and a small duffel of what he’ll need for an overnight stay. For his part he’s out of the uniform scrubs and in civvies, which are clean and past that he didn’t think much of before dressing. He’s already at the entrance to the cargo bay when it occurs to him that the casual track pants he’s wearing are a little, well … clingier than the scrub pants he wears most of the time. They might have been obtained with the idle thought to test Jane’s theory about Doctor Osolong and whiplash.

He could go back and change, but that’d be stupid. Honestly, Ryan’s still more than half certain Akmazian’s flirting is just a dig to get under his skin.Having checked with the station’s Interface before he entered the cargo bay to make sure it’s empty of anyone else, Ryan calls out when the door slides shut behind him,]

Akmazian? It’s me, Doctor Dalias.

[cargobay]

[ the way ryan introduces himself practically every time they encounter each other never fails to amuse him a little. still not on a first name basis, doctor? he wants to ask, except he doesn't want to start this trip out with ryan taking affront to his teasing.

i mean, it's not like ryan hasn't actually testified for him. lord, akmazian even smuggled him a cat. ]

This way, Doc.

[ he hooks his thumb toward the docking bay. ]

You ready to go?

[commanderforehead]

[For all Ryan knows, Akmazian could smuggle cats for half the station. Or he did it for Jane or Levi as they were the ones that asked Akmazian for help.

... come to think of it, Ryan doesn't know what they paid for Morpheus. He idly wonders if he should worry.]

Almost. [Reaching into his bag, Ryan brings out a small portable medical scanner.] I want to get a blood sample from you before we go, you obviously aren't in the station's system and I don't want you to come down with some kind of tropical flu on Thetis Prime only to find out the hard way that you're allergic to penicillin.

[He does at least wait for Akmazian's consent before he goes for it. The scanner doesnt need needles, he's not in the goddamn dark ages. Unlike some doctors he could name.]

[cargobay]

[ except he's not giving immediate consent. instead, he's holding a hand up to stay ryan, taking a quick step backwards as he does. ]

Uh. Is that gonna put me in the station's system?

[commanderforehead]

[Ryan sighs, but he can understand Akmazian's trepidation and prepared for it. He does, daresay, even sound understanding as he explains]

I can override the upload function but it cycles every 50 hours and resets, there's a chance it will upload anyway... so if it does it will be under the generic name we give human patients who we don't have the IDs for. And on the off-chance someone does decide to look specifically at John-Doe-Kappa-1-1-5's medical record, Interface agreed to fudge some genetic markers so they'll find a 5'4" ginger man who carries the recessive gene for xeroderma pigmentosum.

... in spite of what Doctor Urvidian says, I am not stupid.

[cargobay]

[ ryan's words do a lot to put him at ease, but there's still a vague air of reluctance about him as he slowly lowers his hand and then, finally, beckons for ryan to go ahead and take the sample. ]

I'd never accuse you of being stupid, doc. But you're also not a fugitive. Not everyone keeps this kinda stuff on the forefront of their minds, you know.

[ and then, belatedly, he frowns. ]

You made me a 5'4" ginger? What'd I do to you?

[commanderforehead]

[Ryan can't resist the small quirk of a smile at the corner of his mouth as he asks,]

Do you want the list alphabetically or chronologically?

[Obtain illegal medicine for him. Stop a plague and save thousands of lives. Get him a cat. What hasn't Akmazian done?

Ryan coughs, schooling his expression and taking Akmazian's hand to gently press against the side of the scanner for a sample. He's relieved that Akmazian relented, that Dalias didn't have to say please, didn't have to admit real concern for the wellbeing of the other man that went beyond the enlightened self interest of keeping him safe. He's also more than a little pleased to have thought ahead, to have considered Akmazian's situation as well as he did.

Saying the scanner doesn't use needles is a bit of a misnomer, but the needles are microscopic, painless, and most importantly you don't see them. There's just a bit of a tickle, Ryan holding Akmazian's hand in place until it's done, letting go when the scanner has what it needs.]

There. [a few quick keystrokes and Ryan places the scanner back in his bag.] John-Doe-Kappa-1-1-5 processing now. It should have everything done by the time we hit planet-side. Lead the way to the Balmy Breeze.

[cargobay]

[ well, he didn't stop the plague just as a favor to ryan. he'd sort of been planning on doing that, anyway, but he doesn't mind letting ryan take a little credit for that one - especially if it earns him brownie points.

whatever. he's not smitten. shut up. he's a grown-ass man, thank you very much, and he does not get a private, childish enjoyment from ryan fussing over him and taking his hand like that.

goddammit. ]

The Silent Storm. [ the emphasis he puts on the name is more sulky exasperation than actual aggravation, and he turns to stroll toward the docking area. and then, as if he feels like he has to actively remind ryan: ] It's a good name for a good ship. And I guess you're just ignoring that whole thing about beggars and choosers, huh?

[commanderforehead]

[Of course Akmazian isn't smitten. That's ridiculous. That'd be like accusing Ryan of being smitten.

Goddamn it indeed.

There's another brief quirk of a smile before Ryan gets his expression under control at Akmazian's exasperated correction of the ship's name, and Ryan follows him towards the docking bay. He's becoming quite familiar with the pirate ship.]

Did I sound like I was complaining? I'm offended, the Silent Storm is the best pirate ship I've ever been on.

[cargobay]

We could take a detour if you want. Give me the chance to introduce you to some actual pirates.

[ he continues to grouse even as he boards the ship, though he'd probably be smiling himself if he'd managed to actually catch ryan's expressions. akmazian heads immediately to the controls, dropping heavily into a seat definitely molded to his butt in particular, before he leans in and punches in some coordinates. ]

You know. [ his voice is light when he starts. ] I still don't think I've heard a thank you for spendin' my day off running errands with you. [ as if he has scheduled work shifts. as if he doesn't look for any excuse to spend his downtime near ryan. ]

[commanderforehead]

[Ryan lets off until they're inside the Silent Storm, setting his bag and med kit down in one of the containers meant to hold smaller cargo and not have it knock around. It's on the tip of his tongue to fire another jibe back at Akmazian, to keep it going, and oh it takes some glorious self-restraint to not offer to go back and ask Levi if he's got some other contacts so Ryan can indeed get a look at some other pirate ships that might be better. But... but ...

He might have actually been considering the same thing. Maybe. They do have a working relationship of sticking their necks out for one another, an exchange of trust for trust. Ryan doesn't think he has ever said thank you for being given that trust in return, especially when arguably he was worst at it to start with. So. Softly and sincerely as he hangs back a bit, so he doesn't have to look Akmazian in the face when he says it,]

... thank you.

[cargobay]

[ trust for trust, ignoring the time that akmazian knocked both ryan and jane out to drag him to a far off star system that had allegedly been blown up. regardless, he's smiling a little to himself when he fires the engines up and starts to carefully navigate away from the station. he just needs to get far enough to safely clear the station before letting the autopilot take over.

cheerfully: ]

You're welcome. You gonna head this way? Think you owe me a selfie, doctor.

[commanderforehead]

[Ryan gives a very audible sigh as if he's deeply put upon by the request, but he obligingly makes his way up front anyway. He's always a little tense during take-offs here, on Akmazian's ship. He keeps waiting for some kind of hail, an alert, something that means they've been caught, and yet it never comes.]

A selfie? Seriously?

[cargobay]

[ and that's the real beauty of the silent storm: the black market cloaking technology installed on it, worth probably five or six times the value of the ship itself. not that he'll bring it up unless he's asked, of course. ]

What? I told you: I like to scrapbook.

[ he shoots him a mock pitiful look, as if he's wounded that ryan isn't treating this seriously. ]

[commanderforehead]

[The less Ryan knows the happier he'll probably be. He's still an Alliance officer, after all. Even if he's already working with the alleged terrorist. Ryan raises an eyebrow at the wounded look, not believing it for a second.]

Right. And you're going to put a picture of me in there.

[He just wants to make sure he's got this down right.]

[cargobay]

I do believe that is the point of taking a photo, yes.

[ calmly and oh so seriously, as if he's happy to patiently explain the concept of scrapbooking to ryan. ]

[commanderforehead]

I haven't exactly done a whole lot of photo taking since school. [Well, before things went bad, specifically.] I hope you know what you're doing. Do I have to smile?