per fas et nefas

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
Buffy/Blake's 7 (Place in the Universe)
Chapter Summary: Travis is not having a good day.
Word Count: 830
Rating: Teen

 

They say we are known by the company we keep. They also say that you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies. Both are true.
We don’t define ourselves by absolutes, how much we may wish to think so. We instead define ourselves by our relations to others. There’s an opportunity there, but also a danger, particularly if we fall into patterns and never reevaluate, never question.

           Travis is not having a good day. They’d finally cornered Blake—again. He sadly can’t remember the exact specifics, but given that kind of triumph he is sure they were magnificent. While previous schemes had failed, he’s been rather eager to try this one out, one little serum based on years and years of scientific research, not only of the Federation but of Earth civilizations before, on the nature of pain. Of how one little serum could spell Blake’s doom, and how what compassion his fellow outlaws had for him could be the man’s end. If nothing else, he’d been looking forward to putting that impudent wretch in his place. Hearing a few of Blake’s screams again would cheer him considerably after the day he’s had.
           Unfortunately, this happens to be another failure. Worse, he doesn’t know how it happened. Usually, he has some sort of answer as to how Blake had slipped away again: interference by others, unexpected actions that suggested Blake, while still predictable, had become as much a stranger to Travis as to himself, after the adjustments, their teleportation technology. As much as those failures burned, they were also invaluable, chances to learn for next time. Interference? Eliminate any who might feel inclined to rob Travis of his rightful prey. Blake’s changed nature? Learn it anew, until he knows Blake’s next move better than the man himself. They have teleportation? Learn to track it and predict its use.
           He pours every ounce of the frustration he feels into twisting off the head of the alien threatening to bite Servalan. It might bring temporary satisfaction to watch her in pain, but he still has use for her and vice versa, so he will curb such impulses. It feels every bit as good as he expects. Other more vain men might bemoan the prosthetic, but the only thing that matters is that it’s functional—even more so now, it feels like. They must have tuned it up further, the last time he’d been there. Inexplicably, it turns into dust, causing him to cough and Servalan to disdainfully wipe the mess off her white dress. “I don’t suppose you have an explanation for your failure this time?” Her tone is regal and untouched and he longs to do something to make her show she is in no way above him, but restrains himself.
           “Do you?” he shoots back, and at her silence smirks. Her memories of how this had happened are clearly as unclear as his. “This was a joint plan, as I recall.”
           He doesn’t, as a matter of fact. He damnably has no memories on the point whatsoever. But she’s present, so it stands to reason—and, more to the point, it appears neither does she, because she smiles, like her surrender is a gracious gift. “All right, Travis, you’ve made your point. What now?”
           Practical as always—one of the traits that makes her useful to keep around. One of the things he’s always admired about her. He attempts to get in touch with a ship, the Federation, anyone, with no success. The brief brighter turn of mood quickly sours. “You could try to get in touch yourself,” he snarls, and she shrugs flamboyantly in a ‘who me’ gesture.
           “I already tried, with no response,” she answers, and he stares, rage and humiliation warning.
           “And were you planning on sharing this information at any point?” He can’t hurt her. Not yet, at any rate. He’ll just have to ball it up inside and take it out on Blake’s hide, assuming they find the miserable outlaw.
           “To what end?” she asks, gentle and oh-so-infuriating. “You’d have to try yourself anyway, so it wouldn’t have changed the actions we both knew you’d have to take. I merely didn’t wish to distract you in your efforts until I was sure the outcome was the same.”
           Even more frustrating because she’s perfectly right and reasonable. Every chance exists that he wouldn’t have bothered to be as thorough and check every channel with every code in the hopes he’d get through.
           He turns, scanning the area, and his eye narrows on seeing what looks like a military installation. “There. Scanners, weapons, some idea of where this planet’s allegiance falls.”
           “I take it you have a plan,” she responds politely, and he begins to grin wickedly as an idea comes to him.
           Just by looking at him, she likely knows the answer, but it doesn’t affect her poise in the slightest. “Oh, I do. I don’t think you shall like it very much.”