galadriel1010 | The Aurora Line

Title: The Aurora Line
Chapter Title: On The Aurora 1
Challenge/Fest: LongLiveIanto Bingo - Card the second
Prompt: Space Opera AU
Rating: G
Dedication: For my mum, who will never read this but gave me inspiration by wittering on about series that ran before I was born
Summary: The Aurora Star Liner is one of the most luxurious liners in the Human Empire, crossing the spacelanes between New Earth and New Venus on a constant loop. For a boy from the outer colonies, she's not just a new life - she's a whole new world.
Characters: Jack (ish), Ianto (ish). Others when they choose to appear.
Contains:
Disclaimer: Torchwood and its environs, occurrences and persons belong to the BBC. The original characters have disowned me.

Ianto dumped his bag on the counter with his passport and employment papers on top of it and dropped his handsto his sides, tugging his pristine uniform jacket straight again. The high collar rubbed at his throat, especially where the buckle protruded above the fabric. He allowed himself to fiddle with it and push it down again, and the girl behind the counter smiled at him. "First tour, I see," she commented, stamping his passbook and swiping his passport card. "It'll wear in eventually."

"I don't think the line would have the reputation it does if they didn't." He accepted his paperwork back and watched whilst she weighed his bag and activated the scanner. "The whole crew would be mad."

"Who's saying they're not?" She worked with quick, efficient movements, reaching for the printed tag a moment before the machine spat it out and already picking up the handle of his bag to attach it. "We just hide it well."

"But it's not the buckle."

"It's not the buckle." She licked her thumb and swiped it over the back of the tab, then folded it over, pressed the two together and swiped her thumb over the other side and tugged it to check it was secure. Whilst she did that the computer was spitting out his cabin notes, and she finished in time to reach out for a document wallet and slip the notes into it. "Just be glad you're not crew - their buckles have extra bling, and they don't half chafe."

He accepted the wallet from her along with his paperwork and grabbed the handle of his bag. "No bling for me. I don't intend to get anywhere near bling."

"It's best that way." She noticed his hesitation and gestured to her right, down the corridor. "Keep to your left until you reach gate five. The Aurora doesn't begin boarding until this afternoon, so you'll only see other staff and crew down there and we were all new once so someone will show you where to go."

He returned her smile and hitched his bag onto his shoulder. "Thank you. What's your name?"

"Amai." He raised a hand in farewell. "Have a safe tour, Mr Jones."

Ianto followed her directions, down the corridor past the illogically numbered gates. A snide voice told him that there was probably a logic and order to it that he just didn't understand, but he ignored it. Up ahead there was a plate window, between two of the gates, and he slowed as he reached it, awestruck by the first view of the Aurora and the glittering expanse of space that she would traverse.

She was a vast ship, capable of carrying three thousand passengers and one thousand crew and staff, and traversed the crossing between New Earth and New Venus, a two week journey, on a continuous loop, carrying her passengers between the two major planets in the Home System in absolute luxury. The shuttles could do it in days - the Aurora did it in style.

He hurried down to the gate, where two bored stewards were checking the itinerary at the check-in desk. They straightened when they saw him, and one came out from behind the desk to greet him. "New staff member?" he guessed, approaching with his hands in his pockets. "Let me guess... you're the new spa kid?"

"Ianto Jones," he confirmed, clutching his bag. "Off on a shiny new adventure."

The guy laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Welcome to the Aurora, Ianto Jones. I'm Michael, and I'll be your boss for this journey."

"My day's already looking up," he quipped easily. "Where do I start?"

Michael pointed up the passage that led to the ship. "Follow signs for the spa. Good luck."

He saluted, and walked down the passage to his new home, job and life.

Next chapter