trans_9 | Buy a Little Mercy [Open; Potentially Graphic Material]

Less than an hour after the ship leaves Agrestic's orbit, an announcement is broadcast throughout Stacy.

|| Attention, crew. Your crewmates, Howard Bassem and Charles Merriman, have been apprehended attempting to desert. They will now be given Punishment. According to established guidelines, you are all requested to report to the Observation to witness the Punishment. Attendance is not mandatory, but highly suggested. This will serve as a reminder of the consequences of treason and desertion. ||

On the observation deck, Archon Yavek, Archite Rekkti, two other Daligig and a handful of Kessek soldiers stand outside a spherical force field. Inside the bubble, Orc and Howard are suspended by tentacles looping around their wrists. Orc's ceased thrashing around and struggling against his restraints; rust-colored fissures have developed around his shoulders and forearms from the strain, but now he simply hangs there, looking defeated. Howard's nose is bleeding, and every time a drop falls to the bottom of the forcefield there's a small sizzle. He's weeping and begging the Daligig with every plea possible, but they act as if they aren't listening. Instead, they wait for an audience.

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"Dr. Carson Beckett. A pleasure." Carson says, smiling lightly. He doesn't check his Omnicomm at all, most days, so he's the same.

"I've seen some awful things in my time, I'd rather not add to that list."

"Jamie McCrimmon," he replies, managing - just - to keep the 'Och' out of his voice at finding out that Carson actually is a doctor. Figures he'd be right about that part of things...and aving had arguments with doctors in the past about when he'd be able to get up again, he realises that he's likely going to be stuck here for awhile.

At least it's not quite like the time he was shot, though. Once whatever it was Stacy had used to sedate him wore off, he was likely going to be able to get out of here with too much trouble. And Carson...aye, well, he doesn't seem so bad so far. So Jamie opts not to push things, and settles into a slightly more comfortable position for talking.

"Aye, I'd not blame ye for that. But...why did Stacy decide not to punish them?"

"I honestly have no bloody clue. I'm not that type of doctor."

He's just going to pick up his Life-Sign's detector and the medical scanner attachment to run a few more tests.

"I'm just glad they're okay. The Daligig are going to have a wee bit more trouble, though. That spectacle won't go down well."

"Suppose ye have a point there." He snorts at the notion of the Daligig having trouble, though. "Ye would think so, but I'll bet ye they'll just disappear into those restricted parts of the ship again and not be seen by anyone."

He flicks a glance up at the ceiling, for a moment. He knows this isn't one of the spots where Stacy can't hear, and even if she did decide not to punish Howard and the other crew member for whatever reason, he can't be certain what they're saying won't get back to the Daligig.

"They'll be fine," he adds, then directs a scowl at the scanner. "Look, I'll be fine. Do ye really need to go and be doing that?"

A look, Jamie. You're questioning the actions of a doctor, who happens to be one of your countrymen. You should know better.

"Unfortunately, Mr. McCrimmon, my opinion is the only one that matters. I don't want to see you back in here because I was a wee bit hasty in discharging you."

Oh, he knows that look well enough. That's the same type of look that means that he's not going to win this argument, and he settles back on the bed, face a perfect study of both annoyance and resignation.

"Och."

He tries to wait patiently while Dr. Beckett is doing the scans - if nothing else, he has no idea if moving about will mess them up. Eventually, though, he winds up looking over curiously at the Life-Sign detector.

"Ye seem pretty comfortable with using that. Have ye been here awhile, then, and I've just not noticed?"

"I've been here since the last pod release. This device is from my home universe."

He's not going to say world, because the chances of finding stuff like this on Earth was very slim.

"Nothing to worry about. It looks like the anaesthetic that Stacy used on you is slowly working its way out."

Carson is, also, making notes at the same time.

"Your universe?" That was a wee bit interesting, actually. He would have said 'world', personally, partially of because the way he usually understood things. But partially because not everyone automatically jumped to thinking of things on so large of a scale, so it was easier to them, too.

"But ye know how to use it anyway. Do ye have space travel, then?"

"Aye. Of a sort." He looks up from his notebook, setting it on the bedside table. The notes he was writing? They're not in English, or any language based on Earth.

"We discovered this device, we call it a Stargate. It allows near-instant travel between any two points in the Network, provided there's enough power."

The notes look like so much nonsense to Jamie, at least from what he could see by turning his head and peering at them. Then again, it wasn't all that long ago that reading English would have given him a fair bit of trouble. He's not so inclined to have another go at learning how to read whatever that is, and he glances away from the notebook.

"Points in the network?" he asks, slightly confused - at least, until he thinks he's figured it out. "Oh, do ye mean other planets? So they're all connected by this Stargate somehow?"

"Aye, that's it. Each planet that has a Stargate is connected, and each Stargate forms a network of gates that allows travel between them."

Carson finishes his scans and notes, taking a seat. "Provided you know the right address."

Well, he can't say as he understands that, not completely, but it's not the first time he's been faced with trying to wrap his mind around a strange and new method of travel. It's easy enough to accept, given that. Still, he has to wonder what happens if you can't figure out where you're going. Is it like the TARDIS, where you wind up places you'd never intended on going to?

"What happens if ye don't?"

"It doesn't work. The Gate won't connect." He smiles. "I could always show you. The Sensoriums can make a decent copy of Atlantis."

Considering that Carson spends most of his spare time in them, he should know...

"Aye, I'd not mind seeing that." Jamie's fairly sure Carson means later, but he is feeling rather less woozy now. Maybe the worst of the sedative they've used has worn off.

He flicks a speculative glance over at Carson, then asks pointedly, "So does that mean that I've recovered enough to go, then?"

Considering it now... "Aye. You can go." He holds up a finger. "However, if you feel any side effects, any, I want you back here on the double. Got it?"

"Aye, well..." Jamie wasn't planning on coming back, not if he could help it. But if he doesn't agree, then he might not get out of here at all. "Alright."

Time to see if he could, in fact, get up without the symptoms coming back. Carefully, he pushes himself up. Still a little groggy, but not about to pass out again. Good enough. Now that that was settled, he's quick enough to swing his legs over the side of the bed and hop down before Carson changes his mind.

As he heads for the door, however, he hesitates and turns back. "Look, I've got to check on Victoria, but...I'd like to see that Stargate ye mentioned. Let me know when's a good time for ye to do that, aye?"

Buy a Little Mercy [Open; Potentially Graphic Material]

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