There was a thudding sound from outside the door and then it swung open. The moment that a head appeared through the door, Mu clubbed it with his paired fists. The man staggered, taking the blow on the back of his neck and then shook off the impact.
"Ouch," Thomas observed, pushing an Alliance uniform cap back from his face. "Last time I break you out of a cell, La Flaga."
"Doctor Finn?" exclaimed Natarle. "What are you doing!"
He grinned and then winked at Maria. "You're looking well, Captain, but you'd be all the sweeter on the Archangel again. Care to wander in that direction?"
She smiled suddenly and joined him at the door, followed by Natarle and a slightly embarassed Mu. "I didn't recognise you in a uniform, Thomas," he said, by way of an apology.
The skinny man waved him away. "I suppose I can't fault you for that," he replied. "Just don't turn me in for impersonating a non-commissioned officer." Outside the door he caught hold of a cargo pallet and began pushing it. "Don't try to help," he advised when Mu reached for the other end. "You're an officer and a gentleman, not one of the coolies."
"What are you talking about?" Mu said with a frown.
"This is a Eurasian Federation station," Thomas explained. "They're a bit more sensitive about officers not doing the grunt work around here."
"You'll bust a gut though!" Mu exclaimed. "That has to weigh..."
"It's not too bad in this low gravity," Thomas grunted. "And we could do with the supplies on the Archangel. I didn't manage to get any water, but I did divert a couple of munition crates aboard while I was figuring out where you were stashed."
-/-
"Who are you?" Maria asked quietly, as they crossed the line between Artemis Station and the Archangel. "You're not just a doctor, are you?"
"Legally, I'm not even a Doctor," Thomas said mildly. "My training was more or less along the lines of a paramedic."
"But you said..." She hesitated and then glared at him. "You never actually said that you were a Doctor, but you let us assume that, didn't you?"
"Yes," he admitted cheerfully. "People tend not to poke too hard when they've dropped you into a neat little catagory. The minute the crew started calling me Doctor Finn, they stopped thinking about me."
"But I think about you!" Maria protested. Natarle raised an eyebrow at that, where no one could see her.
"Yes, but you call me Thomas," Thomas said, pausing by the cargo lift leading down to the hanger storebays. "That's rather refreshing, really."
"So who are you really?" Mu asked from behind them. "You didn't seem to have any problem dealing with the guards outside our room."
Thomas grimaced. "I suppose you know what it means when some one says they're 'good with their hands'?"
"It's special forces jargon," the Lieutenant replied, frowning. "The whole: hands are lethal weapons thing... wait, you?"
"They're the same hands," Thomas said in a disturbingly mild voice, as he held his fingers up to look at them, "Whether I take a life or save it. I'm not working for anyone, Maria. These days I keep my allegiances personal. It's less confusing that way."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
"Ouch," Thomas observed, pushing an Alliance uniform cap back from his face. "Last time I break you out of a cell, La Flaga."
"Doctor Finn?" exclaimed Natarle. "What are you doing!"
He grinned and then winked at Maria. "You're looking well, Captain, but you'd be all the sweeter on the Archangel again. Care to wander in that direction?"
She smiled suddenly and joined him at the door, followed by Natarle and a slightly embarassed Mu. "I didn't recognise you in a uniform, Thomas," he said, by way of an apology.
The skinny man waved him away. "I suppose I can't fault you for that," he replied. "Just don't turn me in for impersonating a non-commissioned officer." Outside the door he caught hold of a cargo pallet and began pushing it. "Don't try to help," he advised when Mu reached for the other end. "You're an officer and a gentleman, not one of the coolies."
"What are you talking about?" Mu said with a frown.
"This is a Eurasian Federation station," Thomas explained. "They're a bit more sensitive about officers not doing the grunt work around here."
"You'll bust a gut though!" Mu exclaimed. "That has to weigh..."
"It's not too bad in this low gravity," Thomas grunted. "And we could do with the supplies on the Archangel. I didn't manage to get any water, but I did divert a couple of munition crates aboard while I was figuring out where you were stashed."
-/-
"Who are you?" Maria asked quietly, as they crossed the line between Artemis Station and the Archangel. "You're not just a doctor, are you?"
"Legally, I'm not even a Doctor," Thomas said mildly. "My training was more or less along the lines of a paramedic."
"But you said..." She hesitated and then glared at him. "You never actually said that you were a Doctor, but you let us assume that, didn't you?"
"Yes," he admitted cheerfully. "People tend not to poke too hard when they've dropped you into a neat little catagory. The minute the crew started calling me Doctor Finn, they stopped thinking about me."
"But I think about you!" Maria protested. Natarle raised an eyebrow at that, where no one could see her.
"Yes, but you call me Thomas," Thomas said, pausing by the cargo lift leading down to the hanger storebays. "That's rather refreshing, really."
"So who are you really?" Mu asked from behind them. "You didn't seem to have any problem dealing with the guards outside our room."
Thomas grimaced. "I suppose you know what it means when some one says they're 'good with their hands'?"
"It's special forces jargon," the Lieutenant replied, frowning. "The whole: hands are lethal weapons thing... wait, you?"
"They're the same hands," Thomas said in a disturbingly mild voice, as he held his fingers up to look at them, "Whether I take a life or save it. I'm not working for anyone, Maria. These days I keep my allegiances personal. It's less confusing that way."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.