Riders on the Storm [Open]

[Deleted]

At least these two had finally gotten to the point in the conversation where Jack would lower his gun. Though right now he was more concerned about the initial tenseness in the situation, it seems that the Fact of Time was not malicious in any way. It was just up to the other anomaly in time whether or not it would be a hinderance or an ally...

Jack spoke up then, about the telepathic message and confirming that these two had gotten the message... or at least he would have spoken up but then he felt arms around him. It was the blue haired female. Suddenly everything got a bit tense and awkward for him. He didn't hug back, but he didn't push her away.

He had a strange big brother instinct to protect her.

"Nothing important?" He looked at her with a bit of incredulousness to it. "Everything is important in it's own way." Either way, there would be a bit of a pause before Milli let go and he would finally explain who he, the Adonis-like figure, actually was.

"I am Lord Omega. I am one of the early Time Lords, back when their society was at it's infancy. I only came here to this planet because it exists as a threat to the very place that I call home-The Sector of Forgotten Souls. My scouts have pulled up some information that the creators of that off date rocket were going to blow the place up. Why? I have no idea." He would admit that blowing up that sector of space was a stupid thing to do in his own mind, but there had to be SOME kind of motive to the situation.

----

Well, if this keeps up, Kiki may just find out what Andy's abs feel like if they keep this up. Either way, the two glasses of alcohol slid their way and Andy caught it, taking a sip of the strong drink. If there's anything he learned about drinking, it was to take it slow and steady. Either way, he listened to Kiki, his grin unwavering and his eyes not taking them off of the young lady.

"Industrial. Seria has a thing against forced labor." He paused for a moment as the flirting got a bit stronger and his eyes cooly laid back on Kiki. Now there was quite the intent behind those words...

"Oh, idle chatter is just a past time for me~." He chuckled, taking another sip of his drink and swirling the ice in his drink. His eyebrows raised and he would lean back, casually looking at his drink.

"So how about we call it a date, hn? Rocket investigating. Sounds more exciting than pasta. Then we can do... other things."

[Kikilia]

"Oh, I dunno," Kiki said, sipping her whiskey. "I'd imagine any number of women might come out here for..." she made a show of trying not to look like she was checking him out again, "idle chatter."

"Oh, idle chatter is just a past time for me~." He chuckled, taking another sip of his drink and swirling the ice in his drink. His eyebrows raised and he would lean back, casually looking at his drink.

"And industrial espionage is your livelihood?" she said with a straight face. Then she smiled. "Of course, I'm also curious about the rockets. I got a message, saying it was worth looking into. So far," she winked at him, "I'd say it is."

"So how about we call it a date, hn? Rocket investigating. Sounds more exciting than pasta. Then we can do... other things."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Kiki agreed. "Rocket investigating does sound more interesting than pasta. And then, after we look into the rocket..." She smiled, and finished her drink. "We can do something else more exciting than pasta."

She set the glass down with a clatter. "So, handsome... why don't you show me your rocket?" A grin. "Impress me."

[Captain Jack Harkness]

"I am Lord Omega. I am one of the early Time Lords, back when their society was at it's infancy. I only came here to this planet because it exists as a threat to the very place that I call home-The Sector of Forgotten Souls. My scouts have pulled up some information that the creators of that off date rocket were going to blow the place up. Why? I have no idea."

Jack looked Omega up and down. A Time Lord? Yeah, he should have known. Any kind of trouble in the Universe, and there would be a Time Lord in the middle of it somewhere. Going by the way the blue-haired woman was clinging so familiarly to Mr Tall and Handsome, she was one of them as well. Kind of ironic really, considering how long Jack had spent waiting for the Doctor, thinking his friend was the only Time Lord left in existence. Now they were popping up everywhere like mushrooms. And The Sector Of Forgotten Souls – well, that sounded like a happening place...not.

Still, Jack was here now. And if there was one thing he knew about hanging out with Time Lords, it was never boring. He supposed he may as well stick around and see what this rocket business was all about.

Nodding politely to the tall, blonde man, he said, “Pleased to meet you, Lord Omega. My name is Captain Jack Harkness. And I'm happy to help, any way I can.”

Then, peering around Omega at the blue-haired woman, he said gently, “I'm sorry I scared you with the gun, Miss. But I'd just arrived on a strange planet and I didn't know what to expect, so I got a bit jumpy when you came up behind me like that.”

Again, he had the fleeting sense that she was somehow...other. Otherworldly. Uncanny. As if she was operating on a different plane of existence to everyone else. It was very intriguing. Not to mention, she had called him 'Undying One'. He had been called that before, but not by a Time Lord. How had she known that?

He smiled at her, careful not to make any sudden moves that might startle her further. “And I'm sure you have a lovely name...would you mind telling me what it is?”

[Deleted]

"Nothing important?" He looked at her with a bit of incredulousness to it. "Everything is important in it's own way."

Well it would be pretty silly to tell a complete stranger he felt like her big brother, Millennia was pretty sure. So she waited patiently for his proper name. Lord Omega, yes, that was right. And he was in the matter universe, this was one of those times.

“I'm sorry I scared you with the gun, Miss. But I'd just arrived on a strange planet and I didn't know what to expect, so I got a bit jumpy when you came up behind me like that.”

Put that way it made sense, even if she was surprised the Undying One was afraid. If Facts felt fear, did that mean Truths could too?
Hesitantly, she took a step forward, and then another until she was inside Jack’s bubble rather than hiding away from him. Ever so gently, Milli touched his cheek.

He smiled at her, careful not to make any sudden moves that might startle her further. “And I'm sure you have a lovely name...would you mind telling me what it is?”

She faded back then to a more typical distance with a shy smile.

“Millennia, adopted daughter of Brightshore when it still stood.”

Souls. My scouts have pulled up some information that the creators of that off date rocket were going to blow the place up. Why? I have no idea."

Milli flickered her fingers a little, not a random movement so much as a way to visibly help sort the strands of possible Time.
“We should see the rocket then, my Lord, Captain Jack Harkness,” she told the pair solemnly.

[Deleted]

Yes it was indeed one of those times. Lord Omega never really ventured out of the Antimatter Universe or even Zeta Minor unless it was really necessary, and right now it was one of those times. Though now he got the name of the Fact of time and who Millennia was (he found her quite interesting, and did not mind her sticking close to him, then again any female tends to get that neutral if not protective treatment from Omega).

"It is a pleasure to meet you both." Perhaps this Fact of time will be helpful on this mission, along with Millennia's sharp observational skills. He then turned and looked over to the distance to see the rocket gleaming ahead. It stood tall and majestic like a... well, Omega would rather not comment on that. Rockets were a silly and unnecessary concept for him to delve into.

"The rocket launches in a week." Long pause, "I want to make no risks in infiltrating and shutting down the rocket. Making it a last minute decision would be silly." He whistled for his horse and the creature trotted around the stables, glancing at the two humans there. She was quite a beautiful thing, curious, and a little dim witted, but she obeyed orders and had a pragmatic sense to her.

----

Andy finished up his drink, setting the glass down and then listening in on her reasons to check out the rocket. He was certainly glad he wasn't the only one having to deal with infiltrating the rocket or it's base, and he certainly would be glad for some company. His last partner got seriously injured in a fist fight and he was working alone.

"Espionage, investigations, tomb raiding..." He chuckled, adjusting the scarf around his neck. "Why settle for less?"

With that he would give her a wink and stand up, holding his hand out to offer his. Without paying any mind to the rather creepy figure that was watching them, he would give her a wide, pleased grin.

"Then show you my rocket I will~."

[Kikilia]

"And industrial espionage is your livelihood?" she said with a straight face.

"Espionage, investigations, tomb raiding..." He chuckled, adjusting the scarf around his neck. "Why settle for less?"

"Oh, I've never been one to settle for less. Or for anything, really." Then she smiled. "Of course, I'm also curious about the rockets. I got a message, saying it was worth looking into. So far," she winked at him, "I'd say it is."

"So how about we call it a date, hn? Rocket investigating. Sounds more exciting than pasta. Then we can do... other things."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Kiki agreed. "Rocket investigating does sound more interesting than pasta. And then, after we look into the rocket..." She smiled, and finished her drink. "We can do something else more exciting than pasta."

She set the glass down with a clatter. "So, handsome... why don't you show me your rocket?" A grin. "Impress me."

Andy finished his drink, winked, and offered his hand. "Then show you my rocket I will~." he grinned.

"Oh," Kiki said, making her voice sound all serious as she took his hand, "I'll hold you to that."

---

Today was shaping up to be a good day, Kiki decided as they emerged into the sunlight. She'd ridden into town with barely any idea what to do, and now she was walking out of the saloon with a total stud and some ideas about exactly whowhat she was going to do.

"The rockets are a new thing around here, huh?" she asked, adjusting her hat to shade her eyes. The red giant and the white dwarf the planet orbited had cast the noonday street in a blaze of pinkish light and sweltering heat, and while she could (relatively) easily adapt herself to the conditions, there was no need to go advertising just how different she was.

"Where do we find them, anyway?"

[Captain Jack Harkness]

"The rocket launches in a week." Long pause, "I want to make no risks in infiltrating and shutting down the rocket. Making it a last minute decision would be silly."

Jack glanced at Omega's horse and then at the horizon, measuring the approximate distance from the town to the rocket. Too far to walk in the sweltering heat, especially if this Lord Omega was eager to get there in a hurry. And he didn't particularly fancy travelling by vortex manipulator again quite so soon.

His gaze slid back towards the blue-haired woman. Millennia, she had said her name was. He had been semi-flirting before, when he'd said he thought she'd have a pretty name, but as it happened, it was pretty, and it suited her. Her eyes were far away, and her slender fingers were twitching in an intricate movement, as though they were weaving through invisible strands in the air. Jack wasn't sure what she was doing, but the movement gave him a strange shiver up his spine, as if he was seeing something no human was ever meant to. Even an unusual human like him.

“Looks like Lady Millennia and I might be needing some transportation then,” he said. “And, luckily enough, it appears we've come to exactly the right place.”

Leaving the other two standing outside, he ducked inside the shady door of the livery stable. There were at least eight stalls inside, scattered with hay – basically the building was a short term boarding stable for the horses of people visiting the town.

Or in other words, the Wild West version of a parking garage, Jack thought ironically.

Obviously, business was good, because all the stalls were occupied. The place stunk strongly of horse and saddle leather. There was no-one visibly in attendance. Jack suspected that whoever was supposed to be in charge here had sneaked away to see whatever spectacle everyone was cheering so loudly about on the other side of town.

Quickly, he selected two suitable mounts and expertly saddled them. He also found a worn Stetson hat hanging on a nail, which he appropriated with no guilt whatsoever and put on his head. It didn't exactly go with his look, but it would keep the sun off. A bit of further searching produced a second, smaller hat, which he took with him. Then he led the horses back outside.

Lord Omega and Millennia were still there, waiting. Jack swept Millennia a courtly, old-fashioned bow.

“Your steed, milady,” he said with a dramatic flourish. “And a hat to protect that fair skin.” His grin widened cheekily. “Or, if you'd rather not steer, you can ride with me...whichever you prefer.”

[Deleted]

She wasn't sure why the name 'Millennia' had been chosen for her, but it did fit. The name eased into her bearing with the certainty of prophecy. She had been a doll for that long, when all was said and done. And when she had been freed she was far more in tune with the Vortex than almost anyone save perhaps The Seer.

“Looks like Lady Millennia and I might be needing some transportation then,” the Fact... the Captain said.

"I'm not a Lady," the blue haired girl interrupted. "You have to graduate for that."

“And, luckily enough, it appears we've come to exactly the right place."

The Captain disappeared then for a time, and Milli slowly lowered her hands. There was a variety of possible timelines even for her current present, but she wasn't too worried.

After all, Lord Omega was legend.

When Jack returned, he was wearing an old brimmed hat that appeared to be made from tanned animal skin, and he was leading two beasts of burden.

“Your steed, milady,” he said with a dramatic flourish. “And a hat to protect that fair skin.” His grin widened cheekily. “Or, if you'd rather not steer, you can ride with me...whichever you prefer.”


Milli cautiously accepted the hat. It felt more like the clothes the Shobogans favored than Gallifreyan fabric, but she was pale. Having only recently gotten skin back, Milli rather wanted to keep it.

"Thank you."

One thing did puzzle her though.

"How do you steer?"

What? It wasn't like Horse Riding 101 was even offered at the Academy.

Looking doubtfully from the horses to Jack again, she added, "Maybe you should."

[Deleted]

Omega made no comment as Jack Harkness left to grab a couple of horses for them to take. Traveling across the sweltering heat and the sunlight would make for a rather rough travel, but now he was sure that the trip would be quite a bit more interesting than he expected it to be, especially with the ragtag group that he had with him. Oh well. For now it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

"The stables should have some horses." It didn't come to mind that some of the people here didn't know how to ride a horse. Though that was brought up when Millennia asked how she should. With a quick glance to Jack, the situation was quickly resolved. He idly glanced over to watch a pair near the bar.

----

Andy himself would grab his horse, waiting for Kiki to get hers as well, though he quickly swung up on his own steer and got himself comfortable, grabbing his hat and flipping it on. He glanced down at Kiki as she asked her questions and there he would be pretty quick to explain.

"They are pretty new. Should be easy to get to them. They're bigger than mountains. Some of the people here call it 'God's Thumb.'" Not that he cared about what people called it. His horse was ready to get a move on though, flicking his tail and waiting for the others to get ready. Gosh they took forever, these humans.

[Kikilia]

"God's Thumb?" Kiki said. "Big old hard spike, sticking straight up towardst he heavens, and they call it God's Thumb."

She laughed as she unhitched Chocolate and swung up into the saddle. "Well, I guess it's fit for mixed company. Of course, finding them's not the same thing as getting up close and looking at them. But we can figure that out when... hey! What's so interesting?"

The question made it sound like she was jealous, because he wasn't checking her out. But it wasn't hard to see that he was watching three other people in the stable as well. Two men and a woman. One guy was tall and blonde and handsome in an "I should be immortalized in marble" way, while the other was tall and dark and handsome in a "you're not gonna get any sleep tonight" way. And the blue-haired woman was... was...

Kiki's jaw dropped, just for a second. "Millennia!" she called, standing in the stirrups and waving. "Milli! Over here!"

[Captain Jack Harkness]

Seeing Millennia's blank look as she stared at the softly-whickering horses, Jack took the reins of the mount he had intended for her, and looped them around the hitching rail at the front of the stables. Evidently, the mare would not be needed after all. He wasn't overly surprised. Not everyone could ride, particularly the more technologically-advanced species in the Universe, who generally preferred more advanced transport. On the other hand, having lived through the late 1800s in both Britain and America, Jack was very comfortable on horseback.

Putting his foot in the stirrup, he swung himself astride his own horse and reached his hand down towards Millennia, ready to pull her up behind him.

At that moment, a clear voice rang out, interrupting them. “Millennia! Milli! Over here!”

Glancing over in the direction of the sound, Jack saw a cute little red-head with a sexy smile and bountiful curves in all the right places. She was sitting on a chocolate brown Arabian and was waving at his blue-haired companion with sparkling enthusiasm. Behind her, hovering attentively on his own mount, was a tall, lean, confident-looking man with shaggy brown hair. Both of them were so attractive, they looked like they had just stepped out of a toothpaste commercial.

Jack slid an amused look at Omega. He wasn't quite sure of the exact nature of the task the Time Lord had summoned them to undertake, but apparently one of the mission requirements was that all members of the team were mouth-wateringly gorgeous. Jack wasn't complaining. As far as jobs went, he could think of far worse working conditions than being a member of “Team Smokin' Hot.”

“Friends of yours?” he asked with an ironic quirk of his brow.

[Deleted]

Jack was about to help her up on his horse when a pretty redhead started calling out her name. A redhead that Millennia was fairly positive she had never met before. So why did she look familiar?

The blue haired girl tilted her head sideways, her hand still in Jack's as she considered the newcomers.

"I do not believe I have met them before in this life," she answered Jack's question smoothly before righting her head so it was no longer trying to lay on her shoulder.

"Hello, Butterfly," Milli chirped in response, waving back to the redhead enthusiastically, because it seemed the appropriate thing to do.

[Deleted]

It seems there were even more friends to join in on this quest. THough he glanced at the two of them curiously, not aware of the things going through both of their minds. Andromeda himself thought that the three that Kiki was waving to were quite the lookers, and he'd have to subconsciously agree with Jack's statement. This was going to be one very interesting trip...

"I don't believe I have seen them before, but we will now." Omega commented, hiking his horse and leading the others to them, possibly halfway. Andy himself grinned at the lot of them, offering his hand, shaking Omega's hand first and then to Jack.

"The name's Andy Callidum. This is Kiki." The brunette haired man glances at the three of them and raises his brow. "You three seem to be on a mission."

"If you came via a telepathic message, then yes..." Omega spoke up, the entire double entendre jokes and thoughts of everybody else flew over his head.

"Complete accident on my part. I'm here to investigate." Andy rolled up his sleeves.

[Kikilia]

Kiki's jaw dropped, just for a second. "Millennia!" she called, standing in the stirrups and waving. "Milli! Over here!"

Millennia clearly had no idea who she was, from her reaction. Which was totally fair. They'd never actually met, after all. She'd been off messing aboutfinishing her education, when Meds and the other Deca had taken off across space and time to rescue her. But, gawd that blue hair was cool. A little thrill of jealousy actually shot through Kiki, as she realized she'd never be able to carry that look off.

"Hello, Butterfly," Milli chirped in response.

As Mr. Dark-And-Hot and Mr. Blonde-And-Hot chatted, Kiki spurred her horse forward towards Millennia. "This is so cool, running into you here!" she said, resisting the urge to just hug the adorable blue-haired woman. "You don't know me - probably, anyway - but I'm Med's sister-in-law!"

"The name's Andy Callidum. This is Kiki."

"Short for Kikilia," she added with a tip of her hat.

The brunette haired man glances at the three of them and raises his brow. "You three seem to be on a mission."

Kiki looked from Jack to Omega and back to Milli, and smiled. "A mission to bring the beef, right?" she murmured to her sister-in-law, adding a wink for good measure. "Apparently, we're on Planet Sexy, amIright?"

"If you came via a telepathic message, then yes..." Omega spoke up.

"Not yet," Kiki laughed. "But I'm up for anything, once..." Her voice trailed away as she really looked at Omega, and her face went pale. To the eyes of a Sidhe, attuned to seeing deep into the electromagnetic and noetic spectrums, he wasn't a man. He was a raging inferno, a storm of power barely contained in a humanoid form. "I mean... that is..." her voice was suddenly respectufll and slightly frightened, "yes. Yes, m'lord. I did."

Andy said something in the background, but it didn't register. All of her attention was on the blonde demigod before her, waiting for him to speak.

[Captain Jack Harkness]

Andy Callidum and Kikilia.

Jack committed the two names to memory, while his eyes roved appreciatively over the rest of them.

So now they were five.

Kiki apparently knew Millennia, from the way she was bubbling on, which suggested to Jack that she was also a Time Lord. But then, when she looked at Omega, her face went suddenly pale and awestruck, as if she was staring at a god, and her previously confident, flirtatious voice turned into an incoherent stammer.

Jack still retained the habit, perfected in his days as an intergalactic conman, of keenly assessing everyone he met and filing the information away for future use. His eyes returned curiously to the blonde-haired man. So, Omega was not just a Time Lord. He was something...more. Well, that was interesting. Perhaps his initial humorous description of the man as 'Adonis' hadn't been so far off the mark after all.

Millennia's small hand was still resting in his. Tightening his grip, he gently pulled her slight figure up behind him, so that she was on horseback like the rest of them.

If this lot were all Time Lords and potentially knew each other, that made him the odd one out. Not that it bothered him at all. Being the odd one out tended to be his specialty. And besides, he'd never had any trouble making his presence felt.

He gave both Kiki and Andy a jaunty grin. “Captain Jack Harkness. Pleased to meet you.”