New Orders (closed for the_gladiator)

Darby made no acknowledgement of Mac's humor in this situation, obviously petrified of her father in that moment.

He listened to Admiral harper's bluster for a few minutes as he drew connections. "It's a long story sir, and you probably really don't care about it anyway." Silently Jake was glad that Darby made no move to leave. He feared the levels of violence this situation could reach if she left.

The admiral stood flexing his fists looking like he wanted to punch Mac out right there. "She was nothing but a part in your role, then?" He snarled, he knew Mac's reputation, he was good, he never mixed real life with under cover.

"She means more."

"Spare me your fucking lies MacDaniel He snarled. Shut your lying mouth before I shut it for you."

Mac blew out a long sigh, "Yes, she was part of my cover, my role. There, does that make you feel better to have me admit that?" He responded, unable to look at Darby. They had discussed she was part of a role but not this bluntly not this coldly. Truth be told he hadn't even remember her name after he had shed the identity.

Rudolph Harper rounded on his daughter. "Don't you fucking get it Darby, He discarded you like a losing hand in poker, like dirty laundry he was done wearing. Do you even think he remembered your name after he dropped the Danielson identity?" He asked some of the anger showing itself as indignation on his daughter's behalf. "Fucking tell her MacDaniel."

Mac cleared his throat, "I hadn't forgotten about her, sir." He said with much less confidence than he would have liked.

"Did you even fucking know her name?" Harper barked.

"No....sir." Mac finally responded, the sir coming out mocking completely devoid of respect, utterly hating the bastard for putting his daughter Darby through this, making her hear this.

Harper pointed a self satisfied finger at Darby, "See, I told you. And you picked this slime ball rat bastard to father your son? Hope it was a damn good fuck since that's all MacDaniel is good for it would seem, fucking up people's lives."

"That's not true!" Mac snarled, "You're right what I did to her was wrong, but don't you ever insinuate that I didn't do my duty for my people and the fleet. You have no fucking idea what I've been through, sir. I am a loyal officer..."

"Yes, that's why command doesn't trust you, why you're out on a backwater like Luna 9, stripped of your command, relegated to training recruits, because you're such a fine officer." The admiral spat. "I might not know your past and what you've been through MacDaniel, but I sure know your future. You are hereby stripped of your rank by 3 classes."

Mac winced doing the run through of ranks in his head. It seemed to him if he remembered correctly that would leave him, if he was lucky a junior lieutenant, the ranking system was different depending on branch of the military. However it would mean that even Darby would outrank him. "You can't do that, sir, even the board didn't do that." Mac sounded stunned, fortunately he didn't feel he sounded whiny though.

"I just did. Now, stay away from my daughter, or I'll have you in the mines." He snarled. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Cristal fucking clear, sir." Mac muttered.

"You better watch your mouth, son, I don't tolerate that from junior officers." With that he turned to leave,"I'll get your quarters reassigned soon, be on the look out."

Darby started to protest when her father lambasted Jake. But then he made Jake admit that he didn't even remember her name. His confession took the wind right out of her chest. He didn't remember her name? She had just been part of his cover? It had felt so real to her, even since they had rekindled, it had felt real. She was lost in her own thoughts until she heard her father tell Jake he was being stripped of rank.

"Dad, no. That isn't right." She interjected but she wasn't sure that her father heard her over his own thundering voice. Her father ordered Jake to stay away from her, and she felt herself deflate even more as Jake agreed. She knew he didn't have a choice, but still, it stung.

Darby followed after her father. He stormed back to his office, growling at the people who got in his way.

She didn't speak until she was in the doorway of his office.

"How long are you going to punish me, Dad? I know that you are angry with me. I know you wanted something different for me, but how long are you going to treat me like a failure?" Her voice was soft and fragile. She did her best to not let her emotions out with her father, but she had hit her limit.

"Jake is Eli's father. And you can't punish him for that. I will go up the chain of command, but more than that. I will tell mother. I will tell her that you are stripping Eli's father of rank just to punish me. Just to show me one more time, that as a daughter, I am a disappointment to you. Now, I am formally asking for a transfer."

She turned on her heel and rushed back to her billet. There was a group of young women whispering outside of her door, but she just brushed past them. She let herself into her room and curled up on her bed. Myra said something to her, but she didn't answer. She just started to cry and cried so hard, she was worried she would never stop.

The admiral watched her go, "Request denied." he barked, however he even knew that Darby didn't hear him. He had a feeling she would tell his wife, he didn't want that and perhaps he had pushed just a little too far. Was he so wrong for wanting the best for his daughter, though?

Mac paced in his quarters. That had gone splendidly. He had never been more pissed at Vice Admiral Rudolph Harper than in that moment. How dare he do that to Darby, how dare he make him do that to Darby. He felt like just maybe he was not in control of the situation anymore. He liked being in control of his life's trajectory of where things were going, but after that last mission things had gone to hell. He was no longer who and where he was supposed to be. He thought for a long few minutes about leaving the service but he couldn't it was his life. It truly was all he knew. He should talk to her but he was in enough trouble without getting caught going to her. He'd done a stint or two in lock up or penal colonies like the mines Harper had threatened to send him to. Some was his covers but others not so much He had no desire to go back. He felt trapped here.

Myra gently took a seat behind Darby. The woman gently rubbed her back, making small circles. She wanted to ask what was wrong but knew that in this state Darby couldn't talk, so just gave her gentle touch.

Darby didn't know Myra well, but she was thankful for the woman's sympathy and kindness. In time, Myra got her a wet washcloth and a glass of water. Both helped soothe her.

Darby got out a piece of paper and scrawled out the contact info that Jake would need to send messages to Eli. She gave it to Myra and asked her to deliver it to Jake. She had told him she would make arrangements for him to send messages to their son. But she wasn't ready to see him or talk to him.

She changed out of her uniform and into an old oversized t shirt. It had been Jake's once upon a time. She had slept in it for most of her pregnancy and it was almost threadbare now. She curled up in her bed, trying her best to sleep. Trying her best to forget how much she missed her son, how angry she was with her father, and how alone she felt.

Myra wasn't sure what the paper in her hand meant. It read Eli Jacob, and then there were the coordinates to send a message to Earth. She had seen Darby record a few messages and send them, but many people sent messages home to love ones, and she really wasn't one to pry.

She took the slip of paper to Jake's quarters and knocked on the door lightly.

He was in his quarters sitting at his desk, trying to plan his next move. He was unsure what to do, his pacing done nothing but exhaust him. Killing the Admiral wasn't a viable option though he could honestly say it was the option he kept coming back to.

Suddenly there was a knock at his door. "Come." he called. It slid aside, pocketing into the wall and there stood Myra. What was she doing here. "I don't think this is a good time." he commented.

She stepped through the doorway letting it close behind him. He had spent a few nights with her but with Darby back this wasn't what he wanted. Oh he could enjoy it, but that didn't automatically make it right.

"That's not why I'm here." she said softly after looking him up and down, approvingly, just to make him uncomfortable. "Darby asked me to give you something."

Mac waved her over, "What's that, and if you're here to punch me in the face or kick me between the legs, pretty or not, I will fuck you up."

She snorted a laugh but eyed him suspiciously, "And just why would she want me to deliver that?"

"Long story."

"Don't you also think if she were going to do that she'd want the satisfaction of doing it herself?"

"Fair enough. So what is the message?"

Myra handed it to him. His eyes grew wide as he read it. "Thank you." he said to her. If she was curious what it was he wasn't talking. A few moments later she left leaving Mac to his thoughts. He stared down at the note. What could he even say to his son, did he have the nerve to send him a message?

Darby recorded two messages. One for her mother, explaining about Eli's father and her own father's treatment of them. And then she dried her eyes and recorded a simple message for Eli. She greeted him and read a children's book to him.

"I love you, Eli." She closed out her message in her usual way.

She just wanted him to remember her face and know her voice. She again said a silent prayer that she would get a posting that allowed to have her son with her.

She re-watched a few of the recordings she had of Eli. And then she went to bed. She closed her eyes and imagined having Eli with her.

In the morning she dressed in her uniform and reported to her duty station. Several people asked after her, but she shook off their empathy and went straight to work taking care of patients. Her father stormed through the infirmary at one point, but she ignored his presence and just kept working.

Mac went to sleep that night finally. He didn't find that rest came easy to him.

The next morning there came an interesting development. Mac reported to his duty station reporting to the man that was previously his assistant, with his reduced rank the other outranked him now. "Mac, you know I can't do this job, you are the most qualified." Mac just shrugged.

"Its how the chief wants it. you'll do fine." throughout the day, Mac played the role of an obedient follower. He considered it practice of his undercover abilities. He watched the other instructors teaching and at times bumble their way through, yet he said nothing. It would be fencing practice that night. He wondered if Darby would attend.


On his second storming through the medical ward Vice Admiral Harper stomped to a hault in front of his daughter. "Did you report to your mother?" he accused a glower on his face. "I don't care if she is mad at me, I did the right thing." he snarled staring Darby down.

Darby tried to keep her face emotionless as she took another of her father's barrages.

"I have nothing to report, Sir. The infirmary is running smoothly and we have no major injuries or illnesses. We are catching up on physicals." She refused to engage with her father on the topic of her son and his father. She stared her father down.

This only made him more angry.

"Oh, hell, Darby. " He snarled. "I am done with this matter. If you had found someone in fleet, gotten married and then had Eli, he could be with you. Do you think I enjoy teaching you things the hard way?"

Darby hissed out a sigh.

"Eli wasn't planned, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't be able to raise him." Darby straightened her shoulders. "Permission to be dismissed?"

Her father groaned and waved her off. Darby went back to her work. A few moments later one of the older officer came in with chest pains. Darby was lost in her patient's care until her shift was over. She passed him off to the next shift's staff and then she went to the gym for fencing practice.

There was a group of recruits standing around waiting for an instructor. This course was volunteer only. Mac had been its head because of his skill and qualifications. None of the others wanted to step forward to teach. “Where’s that new lady, harper’s brat.” This was garret, “Couldn’t she lead? I’d like to kick her ass a couple more times.”

“The better question is where’s Mac?” another asked

“Good riddance, heard they shipped his ass off to the mines.”

“For what?” came the response.

“I heard he took a swing at the admiral.”

“No way, admiral would be dead as a doornail if MacDaniel swung on him.”

Garret smirked, “You don’t give the admiral enough credit, he beat him and had him shipped out to the other side of the moon, plans on him going to one of the penal colonies I’ve heard. He don’t stand for mutiny.” None were aware that Darby was anywhere within hearing.

It took all of Darby's self control to not attack Garrett, instead she headed to the infirmary. She gathered her medical bag.

"I need a transport to the penal colony. There has been an accident." She was surprised how easily the lie rolled off of her tongue.

She took off her captain's bars and held them in her fist. She took a moment and slipped into her father's office. She left her bars on his desk.

The transport officer didn't seem to think twice about her need to go to the penal colony. She hoped that Jake wasn't too badly hurt. Her father was capable of cruelty and he was well trained.

The transport rumbled across the rugged surface of Luna 9. She felt responsible for anything that had happened to him. She chewed her lip as they drove. Before they arrived at the penal colony she didn't think Luna 9 could get more stark and bleak, yet it had.

The penal colony was a stark metal building surrounded by airless nothingness. The heavy gate opened and the transport rumbled inside. After the airlock was secure Darby popped out of the transport.

"I am here to treat a wounded prisoner." She offered with out showing any emotion. She could hear the inmates yelling and screaming, pounding on their cell bars.

"They don't usually send female med staff." The guard who greeted her said with a smirk. "You must have pissed of the admiral too. We don't have a sick bay but we do have the prisoner in isolation. I will take you to him."

She steeled herself against the angry and lewd words that were being screamed at her as the guard walked her to the cell.

He unlocked the door to the cell, "This fella doesn't seem to be a problem to anyone but the Admiral. Do you need me to stay? He is in restraints." She shook her head.

"I'll be fine." As soon as the door was shut she rushed to bed. "Jake, are you okay?" She whispered to the figure with his back turned to her, with his face to the wall.

As Mac lay on the cot he reflected on how the day had gone. He hadn’t even swung on the admiral first. Though he wished he had. Trust the admiral to fight fare. Not bloody likely. The vibroshiv had made a mess of his right kidney. He had been just leaving his quarters to report to duty when he was confronted by the admiral and some of his men. Mac had stood his ground until he was literally backstabbed by one of the men. Mac hadn’t even been able to scream so bad was the pain. The admiral hadn’t actually struck him, but had watched his goons make a mess of Mac.

He lay now on the cot torn between wishing for death and wishing murder on the Vice Admiral. Someone had been kind enough to put a pressure bandage over his back wound but he needed some serious medical treatment. He almost wished he didn’t have the bandage, and then he could just bleed out.

The bite of his words through cracked lips was harsh and bitter as he heard the last voice he expected to hear. Rather than being grateful to hear from her he snapped at her, “I’m just fucking peachy. Come to gloat about what your father’s goons did to me? Thought you were done with me?” His voice was tight with pain.

His back to her hid most of the bruises, but the bandage slapped over the stab wound was pretty obvious.

Darby gasped when he spoke to her with such venom. How could he think she sided with her father? She opened her med bag and got out some pain meds. She pulled a mild dose into the syringe and cleaned the skin on his arm.

"I am going to start with a mild dose of pain meds, but after my exam, I will add some more. I need you coherent for my exam." She saw the pressure bandage, and winced when she pulled it back. She got out more local anesthetic and then cleaned the wound. She carefully sutured his wound closed. She blinked back tears as she took care of him. His bruises and lacerations told the story of the beating he took. She got out her light and checked his eyes to see if he had a concussion, it seemed he was spared that.

"I think I have the bleeding stopped from the stab wound. I will stay until you are stable." her voice was tiny and she did her best to keep the quaver out of it. She pulled a bottle of water from her med bag and set it beside him. "You need to stay hydrated. I can start an iv as well." She got the fluids going. Then she withdrew from him and sat on the floor with her back to the wall of the cell.

She wanted to scream at him for taking on her father. She wanted to scream at him for thinking that she was loyal to the man that had made her miserable most of her life. But she didn't. He didn't know her at all. Did he not remember? She had cried herself to sleep in his arms one night after her father had screamed at her on the phone. He hadn't known her father was a vice admiral, but he knew that her father was a cruel bastard. And he knew that there was no love lost between them.

Darby rested her head on her knees. She had no more words.

Her hands were soft and gentle. She hadn’t really answered his cruel words. He deserved that. He was surprised though that she would treat him with such gentleness after all he had done to her. He took the bottle in his hands, the chains clanking as he lifted it to his lips.

“Thank you Darby,” he said finally in a much gentler voice. “I just…” he fell silent he didn’t have the words. “It’s all his fucking fault.” He finally growled. “I’ll kill the rat bastard. I don’t care if he is your father; fucker deserves to die for this. I figured you knew what he had done to me.” He cleared his throat licking dry and cracked lips, “It’s not like I didn’t deserve this.” He said with a self-deprecating chuckle. He let out a pain noise as he turned to try to look at her. He swore and turned back to the wall.

She sighed and got up off of the floor.

“Don’t mess up my stitches. I worked hard on them.” She offered softly.

She sat on the edge of the steel table he was chained to.

“I heard Garret telling the others that my father had you sent here. I left
My captain’s bars on his desk, I got my medical bag and I told a transport driver that I had orders to come out here. I am AWOL.” She took a deep breath.

She swiped away her tears with the back of her hand. “I am going to resign from fleet. I want to be with Eli. I miss him so much. And I thought if I went through with these orders and took my punishment that my father would let me go to a posting where I could raise my... I mean our son. But he said that will never happen. Not until I find someone in Fleet and get married.”

She looked at Mac, trying not to fall apart.

“Do you need more meds? Are you comfortable?”

“He’s a piece of work,” he said softly. He let out only a dry chuckle at her admonishment to not mess up her stitches. “He would have really flipped if you’d stolen a dermal regenerator also.” He said, “Gotta pretend I’m back in the 21st century.” He gave her a weak smile, if he turned his head he could look up at her, “But beats bleeding to death, thank you.” He said softly.

“You deserve to be with your, our son.” He said softly. There was a long pause before she shrugged in response to the question about meds. “Fleet thought I went native.” He finally said, he’d never told her what happened to him after the explosion. “I hadn’t. But I’m fixing to now.” The words stuck in his mouth, “Serving was always my life’s dream. Funny how your life can get so fucked up, huh. I shouldn’t have let you get close to the Danielson identity. It was too close to my true self, for heaven sakes I almost never use my own real first name, how could I not grow attached to you when you would whisper Jake at night. Felt weird to not be called Mac by someone, but it felt nice. Like I was home or something. I really am fucked up in the head.” He said. The pain meds clearly taking down his inhibitions and fueling more honesty than he intended.

She smiled at him.
"You made me feel at home too. Or actually, you have met my father... so not at home, but the way I imagined it would feel to be at home with people who love you."

She got into her bag and pulled out an instrument.
"You are about to witness some of the skills from my misspent youth. She took the metal and started picking the lock of his shackles. After a few moments and some clicks she was able to open them.

She quietly laid the shackles and the chains on the floor.

"Just get comfortable. I think there is room for me. We don't have to figure out anything now. Just rest, and feel at home."

She curled up on the edge of the cot and tucked herself against his chest.

Jake didn’t push her away. This surprised even him, but after she had released his chains he had stretched very slowly and then he was just too exhausted to resist her charm. Just her gentle touch was soothing to him.

“We had such wild sex that felt like home to you?” he asked finally. She probably meant the times he held her after their love making, just as he held her now, his right arm settling over her waist, palm laying against her stomach. His voice was starting to have a slight slur from the meds, he normally prided himself on not showing that meds or alcohol affected him, but he was too tired to care now.

She didn't answer him. She wanted him to sleep. She made herself be still and deepened her breathing. Soon she was asleep. She awakened when the key rattled in the lock. The guard dropped a metal tray of food by the door. Darby sat up startled and got to her feet quickly. The guard shrugged his shoulders.

"Vice Admiral is on a transport out here. Just thought I would warn you." He muttered. Darby sighed deeply and checked Mac's wounds. There was nothing to do but wait.

“Seems like a good time to get the hell out of here then,” Mac muttered almost too low for Darby to hear. He stretched as the guard left.

When Mac moved it was like he had no injury, he had crossed the room in less than two heartbeats, and his foot had slammed into the closing gap as the guard stood caught off guard. He opened his mouth and then promptly had it shut as mac’s right fist slammed into his jaw closing his mouth for him. “You didn’t deserve that bud, but sometimes in life it’s you or me.” He muttered, shoving open the door and disarming the guard. Flipping the selector switch on his blaster to stun he squeezed the trigger ensuring that the guard wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon, but also guaranteeing that the entire facility heard the distinctive whine of the weapon.

“Time to kick rocks darlin, unless you hang around for Captain apoplectic, you’re with me. The pain he was feeling was there in his eyes as he met her gaze, but otherwise it didn’t show in his face or movement. “You good with this?” he asked softly, “I hadn’t broken any laws until now…now, I’ve sort of lost track of how many I’ve broken in 35 seconds.”

Darby scrambled to her feet and followed Jake.

"I have your six." She offered softly. The guard had no other weapon, so Darby knew tactical awareness and hand to hand were all she had to offer. She had to almost run to keep up with Jake's long purposeful stride.

It would only be a matter of time before their escape was discovered. Darby checked every door panel that they passed. She hoped one of them was programmed for medical personnel access. She waved her palm over the scanner of a supply room and the door whooshed open and pocketed in the wall.

"Here." She hissed at Jake and grabbed him, pulling him into the supply room and closing the door, just as voices burbled down the corridor from around the corner.

Her soft words were all the confirmation Mac needed to take off. He headed down the hallway like the A. owned the place, B. knew where he was going, and C. had a plan. Perhaps one of those three was actually true.

Fortunately, Darby seemed to have more of a plan than shoot everyone in sight, as she ushered them both into a supply room. The door closing none too soon as the voices approached.

Mac quickly took in the small room. There wasn’t much room in there, with all the boxes, forcing them into close quarters. “Now what?” he hissed right near her ear. He hoped they weren’t now trapped in this little room, “Take a look around maybe we can find something useful in here,” he suggested, before going quiet as voices passed again. “I for one am not ready to meet the Vice Admiral anytime soon. I’ll kill the fucker and he sadly, is still your father,” he muttered mostly to himself even as he started opening cargo modules. “Oh, Good I can throw rice cakes at them,” he muttered after looking in one box. He then opened a second and whistled. “Who stores explosives and food in the same closet?” he asked rhetorically. “These could come in handy,” he said as he began to sort detonators and cakes of the plastic explosive. “With this I can ruin someone’s day…find anything?” he asked her. “Does our food bomber also store assault rifles in here too?”

Darby rifled through the boxes on the shelves.

"I haven't found any weapons, but I found med kits. I have some sedative injectors. If I get in close enough, they could even put a goon like Garrett on his ass."

She put the injectors in the pocket on the side of her thigh.

"I wanted to take you to bed. I would much rather be under you than participating in my first prison break." She said with a smirk.

She found a uniform cap on the shelf and she wound her hair up and put it under the cap. She hoped it might make her blend in, at least a little.

“Aggressive medical treatment,” Mac grinned, “I like how you think.”

Mac found nothing else of use and finally began to move containers aside so he could get to the back wall of the room. “This should take us to the flight hanger, rather than having to go the long way. Hopefully us getting a shortcut will compensate for the fact that this is going to make a lot of noise.” Even as he spoke, he began to place a cake of the explosive against the wall. Getting it set, he stepped away from its leading Darby as far from that side of the room as they could get. “Once it goes, we run for the hole and try to find something to fly out of here,” He held up the detonator, “Are you ready?” he asked and giving her no further warning pressed the button, “boom,” he whispered in her ear a second before the explosion blew a giant hole in the back wall of the supply room.