Journey on J'harr{RiverxJack} 3

"Are you two finally ready?" Barner asked as she watched Jack and River entre the ship.

"Yes, yes, we're ready," River replied. "Sorry for the wait." Barner didn't reply to River. She glanced at Tauzer, muttering, "C'mon," before she turned and left to the cockpit, Tauzer following behind her.

"Definitely a lot roomier than my ship..." Jack noted as he walked with River through the halls of the shuttlecraft, heading to the lounge. "Can't wait to see the bedroom..."

"Oh which reminds me, there are only three bedrooms, which means there will be some sharing," River noted.

"Can't say I have any complaints about that," Jack said. "You and I are in one I assume?"

"Well knowing you and your habits, someone has to keep an eye on you," River said. "There are two or three beds in each, depending on the room."

"And?" Jack asked. River rolled her eyes and the two entered the lounge where Kera, V'Zergi, and Ersen were sitting and chatting. They stopped and looked at River and Jack as the two walked in.

"Ah, so I take it we're all ready to take off to J'harr?" Ersen smiled when he saw them.

"Barner and Tauzer are working on getting us out of here now," River said. "Oh, and for all who don't officially know him, this is Jack. Jack Harkness."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Harkness," Ersen said, his pointed dog-like ears pricked forward as he grinned. "I'm Ersen!"

"You can all just call me Jack," Jack said. He looked at Kera, smiling, "You, however, can call me whatever you want. But what should I called you?"

"I'm Kera," she giggled, blushing.


"Jack," River scolded, sitting down on one of the couches and crossing her legs.

Jack ignored her and looked over at V'Zergi, "What about you Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome? What's your name?"

The alien looked up at Jack with a cold, slightly agitated stare. "V'Zergi." came his answer.  Jack just nodded before taking a seat next to River. He put his arm around her shoulders and looked at each of the aliens, waiting for someone to say something.

"Um..." Kera started, face still flushed. "If you don't mind me asking so soon, how long have you and River been together?"

"Close to two years," Jack answered.

"Has it really been that long?" River asked, looking at Jack.

"Yeah,  but it feels like it was just last week when I swept you off your feet," Jack grinned.

"It feels longer than that to me," River said, looking at her hands folded in her lap. She didn't feel like herself. Ever since a year and seven months ago, shortly before she met Jack, something happened that had left her with a deep sense of guilt, depression, and a longing she found almost unbearable. She tried to keep herself busy, her mind on other things, but without fail, nearly every day, her mind drifted back to the event that caused her desolation, and she continued to yearn for the man she had not seen since that day.  In her mind, River was completely devoted to that one man. So why she was cheating on him with Jack, River herself didn't fully understand. If anything, Jack just served as another distraction. He also happened to be the first person to comfort her after the incident, leaving a lasting impression on her. They had been together since then, and even though River knew she didn't love Jack, something she was alright with, she didn't fancy him taking an interest in other women or men, a thing he often did. And to her understanding, that was something he always had done. What was she to expect? Jack was a 51st century Human. With his promiscuous behaviour paired with being raised in the 51st century, 'dancing' with whoever was willing was a rather common practice. Maybe if he cheats, I'm just getting what I deserve, River thought, Considering the fact I am cheating on the Doctor with Jack.  She knew that when the Doctor came back for her, or if she was able to find him, then there would be problems if he found out about her fling with Jack. There was another reason she kept close to Jack though. He had something she wanted, she just didn't know how to go about getting it. But if she got it, she could be reunited with the Doctor.

"River?" Jack's voice broke River's train of thought and she looked at him.

"Yes?"

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"Of course," River inhaled. "I'm perfectly fine. I was just thinking."

Jack just shrugged. "So we're the first to explore J'harr?" he asked the others.

"In a way," Ersen started. "Actually, there is a large team of scientists already on J'harr. They've been  observing, tracking, and logging many specific details and patterns of the planet's weather, animals, plants, and natives. Only now have they accepted new scientists to come help and explore. There is said to be a new mineral, a potentially very helpful mineral, near the top of one of J'harr's largest known mountains. They've been busy, though, so they need some help."

"That's why we're here. We're here to climb that mountain and see about retrieving samples of the mineral. The other scientists have been working on building the site for decades, along with easy access to natural paths on the mountains. The J'harrians haven't been very cooperative, though," River said.

"You didn't tell me any of this," Jack said. "I've gotten around, but I can't say I've really climbed any mountains, especially no mountains labelled as 'Planet's Largest'.... Shouldn't they get some, you know, experienced climbers?"

"I didn't think it was important," River said. "It really shouldn't be terribly difficult. Like I said, I was  told that the mountain has many natural paths making it easier to climb than mountains you'd find on most other planets, including Earth."


"J'harr also has a very large abundance of oxygen and an atmosphere about eight times larger than Earth's," Ersen said.

"Which means that it's easier to breathe in higher altitudes," River said.

"I know what it means," Jack said. "So what are the environmental suits for then? If it's safe, oxygen n' all, why do we need them there?"

"There's an additional gas in their atmosphere, a poisonous one. Definitely not safe to breathe for long periods of time. Your suit filters out the poison gas and just brings in the oxygen and expels the carbon dioxide as you breathe," Ersen explained.

"I see..." Jack said. "Oh, about this mountain, is it like your typical Earth mountain with snow and such due to the high altitude?"

"No," Ersen answered. "There is no snow or ice. There are three suns on J'harr, two close, nearly colliding, and another one directly opposite the two. It keeps the planet hot year round, even at extremely high altitudes, where the temperature I assume would drop some, but nowhere near freezing. The environmental suit will regulate the temperature, making sure it doesn't get too hot for those unaccustomed to such extreme temperatures. Or too cold, if the planet had that effect."

"Built in air-conditioning- I like it," Jack smiled, sitting forward.

"The base under the mountain is pretty large, isn't it?" Kera asked Ersen.

"Quite," Ersen gave a curt nod. "The base, built directly underneath and into the centre of the mountain, has twelve main levels, each one several hundred metres away from the next. Each level is connected by a lift that actually runs up one third of the mountain where an opening to the outside of the mountain is. The lift itself is several thousand metres high, and only recently finished."

"Finished? You have to climb the rest of the way up the mountain, if they are planning on excavating it, and mining its minerals, wouldn't it be more efficient if they built the lift to run the whole altitude of the mountain?" Jack asked.

"I can't answer that question," Ersen frowned. "I only know what they gave us in the datapads, which was a fairly extensive map of the base and a brief knowledge of their findings on J'harr, and our objectives."

"Hm. It definitely sounds interesting..." Jack said.

"I don't think I've been more excited for a planet exploration than this one!" Ersen's voice got even more high-pitched and he wiggled anxiously in his seat.

"Calm down, Ersen!" Kera giggled. "We still have to get there! We've not even left Earth yet!"

"I know," Ersen said, looking down. "I just can't believe it... out of all the other scientist, archaeologists, and doctors they could have chosen, they picked us!" River felt her heart skip a beat the mention of  'doctors', as she was once again, immediately reminded of her true love. She tried to push away the thought of him, though, and remained silent as Jack asked,

"Do you all know each other? I mean, before this expedition, did you, Kera, V'Zergi, Tauzer, and Barner know each other?"

"Oh yes! The five of us have been working with each other for years!" Ersen answered.  "You and Dr. Song are the only two really new to the group."

"Kathie didn't like the thought of you two joining us, but the rest of us talked her into it," Kera smiled. "It took a lot of convincing from both us and River, but obviously it worked."

"Yeah, River told me that she wasn't thrilled about us getting in on this..." Jack said. "What I'm wondering is how you lot got accepted into a big ol' grand event like this? I mean, no offence... but you don't really look like the highest level, best quality scientists that a high-class team of people on Top-Secret J'harr would be looking for."

Ersen, Kera, and V'zergi all exchanged nervous glances.

"Well," Ersen started, lifting his paw to resituate his glasses on his long, narrow snout. "I was in the lab tending to my work when Kathie ran in. She was breathless and looked a bit out of sorts... She explained how she had been contacted by a group of scientists on the quarantined planet J'harr, and how they wanted her and her team to gather what they needed in order to journey to J'harr in three weeks' time.  They gave her the coordinates, and the data pads arrived a week later. And now, here we are."

River immediately sat up, "They didn't tell you anything else? They didn't explain why your team was chosen?" She couldn't pinpoint why, but she suddenly felt an uneasy, sinking feeling in her stomach.

Ersen shook his head, "No, nothing."

River shifted uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" Jack looked concerned at River's change in behaviour.

"N-nothing," River answered, anxiously wringing her hands together. "I'll be right back." She stood and exited the lounge, giving no explanation for her abrupt change in attitude.