(no subject)
TITLE: Draconis Galactica
RATING: G
SPOILERS: SGA/Temeraire
NOTES: Don't even ask where my brain goes when I'm half asleep. And particularly don't mention my attempts at Latin. I have had very little sleep.
_______________________________
“You sure that thing’s safe?”
Teyla inclined her head. “You did not have such creatures in Sateda?”
Ronon shook his head, watching the harness being lifted into place. Sheppard was climbing all over the thing, and it kept nudging him with its massive nose. “We had ships and that was good enough.”
“She may seem dangerous,” Teyla said with a smile, “but she and John understand one another well.”
“That meant to be reassuring?” Ronon muttered as he followed her down from the control room towards the gate-room. “You’re telling me it’s a girl?”
Teyla’s lips twitched. “Yes. A female, and only a small one at that.”
Ronon stared at the crouched silver-black shape in the gateroom doubtfully. It had been a week since he had been brought - unconscious - to the place called Atlantis, but the first time he had been introduced to the local mode of transport.
There had been legends, ancient tales, even on his own planet. They told of the flying creatures which the Lanteans could use to travel great distances, which contained their own weapons, and which could level entire villages with one breath. It had been the source of many a child’s night terror.
“Hey!”
Of course, seeing one of the creatures picking Sheppard up by his pants and drop him on the floor did a lot to undercut that terrifying mythology.
“You were standing on my wing again,” the creature said reprovingly. “I know you want them, but jumping on mine isn’t going to make them fall off and stick to you. You have to get used to the fact you’re never going to be a dragon.”
Sheppard swatted the creature’s nose which was easily as big as his torso. “You don’t pick me up by my pants,” he said severely. “You know the trouble we got into when we went to Athos the first time.”
The creature showed long, white teeth. “Yeah,” she - Teyla had assured Ronon it was a female - said. “I don’t think showing your butt to the world made the impression you were looking for.” She put her head on one side, reminding Ronon of the small, black-eyed birds that he used to see at the earliest parts of the day, bright-eyed, curious, and most of all hungry. “Is that the one I brought back when he was sleeping?”
Sheppard grinned. “Yeah,” he said. “Lacustripudio meet Ronon.” He waved vaguely between them. “Ronon, meet the bossiest female on Atlantis. Trippy for short.”
A firm swat knocked Sheppard on his backside again and the dragon lowered her head to peer with interest at Ronon, who folded his arms and looked nonchalantly back at her, ignoring the sulphur scent that hung on her breath.
“He’s bigger than you, Sheppard,” she judged, looking at her fallen Captain. “I thought you said you were a prime specimen of manhood on your planet.”
Sitting on her foreleg, Sheppard patted the sleek scales. “I judge on brains,” he said.
Lacustripudio looked at Ronon again. “Special Operative, wasn’t it? That means you have to be smart and strong?”
“Yeah,” Ronon replied with a curt nod.
The dragon turned once more to Sheppard. “I repeat my previous statement,” she said, then laughed as she was rapped firmly on the nose.
“You want a new captain,” Sheppard said teasingly, starting to get up, “you see if you can find anyone who’ll let you fly as high and fast and do all those loops to make the crew sick like I...”
Her claws cupped around him suddenly, talon-like but gentle and her cheek was pressed against his belly. “You’re my Captain,” she said with quiet firmness. Then she laughed again. “And you’re the only one who’ll let me drop you.”
He rubbed her nose fondly. “Well, yeah,” he said. “Now, you going to let me go?”
Foot-long claws unfolded around him and she arranged her coiling tail around her, her foreclaws folding in a parody of feminine demureness picked up from the histories of the city around her. “Continue,” she said after several minutes of adjusting herself.
“See what I mean?” Sheppard said. “You’re not the boss of me, Trippy.”
“But you can’t eat me in two bites,” she replied sweetly. She yawned and showed off the sharp array of teeth again. “Are we just going to sit around all day? I want to go to Athos already. They’ll have meat for me, won’t they, Teyla?”
“I am sure it will be provided,” Teyla said with a smile. “You do not mind if Ronon joins us?”
The dragon’s nostrils flared minutely, and she studied him. “As long as he doesn’t sit at my neck,” she agreed. “Only Sheppard is allowed to sit there.” This said, she plucked Sheppard off the floor and set him on her neck, where he protested under his breath as he hooked his support links onto the harness.
“How high do they go?” Ronon asked Teyla in an undertone.
“They are safe even into orbit,” Teyla assured him, as she accepted a foothold of Lacustripudio’s foreleg. “The harness generates a field to prevent any harm from coming to us.” With quick familiarity, she had found a place to perch behind Sheppard, and start hooking herself up to the complex harness. “Thank you.”
Ronon looked up at the dragon’s face. He couldn’t read the expression, but he got the feeling she was trying not to laugh at him. “So where do you want me to sit?”
He was promptly picked up in one of those massive claws and put down behind Teyla, and it took all his control not to grab and cling onto the harness. She gave him a rueful smile. “She has her ways,” she said, showing him how to connect himself to the harness.
“Yeah,” he said as the dragon gave him a wide-eyed innocent look. “Kinda like her Captain.”
Lacustripidio laughed, the sound vibrating through her body. “I like this one, Sheppard,” she said gleefully. “Can we keep him?”
Sheppard grinned. "Sorry, buddy," he said to Ronon. "You're stuck with us now."
With a gleeful whoop, the dragon spun the gate and leapt through.
RATING: G
SPOILERS: SGA/Temeraire
NOTES: Don't even ask where my brain goes when I'm half asleep. And particularly don't mention my attempts at Latin. I have had very little sleep.
_______________________________
“You sure that thing’s safe?”
Teyla inclined her head. “You did not have such creatures in Sateda?”
Ronon shook his head, watching the harness being lifted into place. Sheppard was climbing all over the thing, and it kept nudging him with its massive nose. “We had ships and that was good enough.”
“She may seem dangerous,” Teyla said with a smile, “but she and John understand one another well.”
“That meant to be reassuring?” Ronon muttered as he followed her down from the control room towards the gate-room. “You’re telling me it’s a girl?”
Teyla’s lips twitched. “Yes. A female, and only a small one at that.”
Ronon stared at the crouched silver-black shape in the gateroom doubtfully. It had been a week since he had been brought - unconscious - to the place called Atlantis, but the first time he had been introduced to the local mode of transport.
There had been legends, ancient tales, even on his own planet. They told of the flying creatures which the Lanteans could use to travel great distances, which contained their own weapons, and which could level entire villages with one breath. It had been the source of many a child’s night terror.
“Hey!”
Of course, seeing one of the creatures picking Sheppard up by his pants and drop him on the floor did a lot to undercut that terrifying mythology.
“You were standing on my wing again,” the creature said reprovingly. “I know you want them, but jumping on mine isn’t going to make them fall off and stick to you. You have to get used to the fact you’re never going to be a dragon.”
Sheppard swatted the creature’s nose which was easily as big as his torso. “You don’t pick me up by my pants,” he said severely. “You know the trouble we got into when we went to Athos the first time.”
The creature showed long, white teeth. “Yeah,” she - Teyla had assured Ronon it was a female - said. “I don’t think showing your butt to the world made the impression you were looking for.” She put her head on one side, reminding Ronon of the small, black-eyed birds that he used to see at the earliest parts of the day, bright-eyed, curious, and most of all hungry. “Is that the one I brought back when he was sleeping?”
Sheppard grinned. “Yeah,” he said. “Lacustripudio meet Ronon.” He waved vaguely between them. “Ronon, meet the bossiest female on Atlantis. Trippy for short.”
A firm swat knocked Sheppard on his backside again and the dragon lowered her head to peer with interest at Ronon, who folded his arms and looked nonchalantly back at her, ignoring the sulphur scent that hung on her breath.
“He’s bigger than you, Sheppard,” she judged, looking at her fallen Captain. “I thought you said you were a prime specimen of manhood on your planet.”
Sitting on her foreleg, Sheppard patted the sleek scales. “I judge on brains,” he said.
Lacustripudio looked at Ronon again. “Special Operative, wasn’t it? That means you have to be smart and strong?”
“Yeah,” Ronon replied with a curt nod.
The dragon turned once more to Sheppard. “I repeat my previous statement,” she said, then laughed as she was rapped firmly on the nose.
“You want a new captain,” Sheppard said teasingly, starting to get up, “you see if you can find anyone who’ll let you fly as high and fast and do all those loops to make the crew sick like I...”
Her claws cupped around him suddenly, talon-like but gentle and her cheek was pressed against his belly. “You’re my Captain,” she said with quiet firmness. Then she laughed again. “And you’re the only one who’ll let me drop you.”
He rubbed her nose fondly. “Well, yeah,” he said. “Now, you going to let me go?”
Foot-long claws unfolded around him and she arranged her coiling tail around her, her foreclaws folding in a parody of feminine demureness picked up from the histories of the city around her. “Continue,” she said after several minutes of adjusting herself.
“See what I mean?” Sheppard said. “You’re not the boss of me, Trippy.”
“But you can’t eat me in two bites,” she replied sweetly. She yawned and showed off the sharp array of teeth again. “Are we just going to sit around all day? I want to go to Athos already. They’ll have meat for me, won’t they, Teyla?”
“I am sure it will be provided,” Teyla said with a smile. “You do not mind if Ronon joins us?”
The dragon’s nostrils flared minutely, and she studied him. “As long as he doesn’t sit at my neck,” she agreed. “Only Sheppard is allowed to sit there.” This said, she plucked Sheppard off the floor and set him on her neck, where he protested under his breath as he hooked his support links onto the harness.
“How high do they go?” Ronon asked Teyla in an undertone.
“They are safe even into orbit,” Teyla assured him, as she accepted a foothold of Lacustripudio’s foreleg. “The harness generates a field to prevent any harm from coming to us.” With quick familiarity, she had found a place to perch behind Sheppard, and start hooking herself up to the complex harness. “Thank you.”
Ronon looked up at the dragon’s face. He couldn’t read the expression, but he got the feeling she was trying not to laugh at him. “So where do you want me to sit?”
He was promptly picked up in one of those massive claws and put down behind Teyla, and it took all his control not to grab and cling onto the harness. She gave him a rueful smile. “She has her ways,” she said, showing him how to connect himself to the harness.
“Yeah,” he said as the dragon gave him a wide-eyed innocent look. “Kinda like her Captain.”
Lacustripidio laughed, the sound vibrating through her body. “I like this one, Sheppard,” she said gleefully. “Can we keep him?”
Sheppard grinned. "Sorry, buddy," he said to Ronon. "You're stuck with us now."
With a gleeful whoop, the dragon spun the gate and leapt through.