badly_knitted | Fic: Night Of The Harvester

Title: Night Of The Harvester – Part 2-
Author:

badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, Jack, OCs.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2150
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Jack and Ianto offer their help to rid the settlers of the creature that has taken so many lives.
Written For:

spook_me 2024, using Torchwood, Pumpkinhead / Jack O' Lantern.
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
A/N: Set in my Through Time and Space ‘verse.

Previous Part

A long silence fell over host and dinner guests, each of them sunk deep in their own thoughts. Finally, Ianto leaned forward in his chair, resting his forearms on his thighs, hands clasped and his expression thoughtful. “Tanisa, if I might ask, what happens to the farms Harvester destroys? Is the land divided among the neighbours?”

“No, never; we made a pact from the beginning that all farms would be of equal size, so that no one could claim another had been granted preference over them. We simply repair the damage to the buildings, a new family moves in, perhaps from town, or one of the larger farm families divides, half staying where they are and the other half moving to the vacant farm. Those who are interested in taking ownership must submit their names to the mayor. Then there is a drawing, and the one whose name is picked, along with their family, takes possession of the land and buildings. The selection process is as fair as we can make it. Everyone abides by the results.”

“I see. And you say Harvester never visits the same farm twice?”

“Thus far that has been the case.”

“So there are now ten farms you can be reasonably certain will remain untouched this year?”

Tanisa nodded slowly. “That is so.”

“I see what you’re getting at!” Jack grinned at his husband before turning to Tanisa. “You can predict when Harvester will come, but not where. Is that correct?”

“Yes, but why should that be important?”

“Before that time comes, could you move all livestock and people to the farms that have gained immunity?”

Tanisa blinked in surprise; clearly that idea had never crossed her mind. “It would be extremely crowded, you are talking about more than a thousand people, counting all the farmworkers, and easily five times that number of animals, perhaps more, but it might be possible.”

“It would be wise to evacuate the town as well,” Ianto added. “We don’t know how Harvester might react if he, it, whatever, finds no one home on the farms he visits. The crops he devours might not be enough to satisfy him.”

“But that would be another seven hundred people at least,” Tanisa protested. “Even for one night, there would not be room for everyone indoors, and the nights are growing cooler!”

“The townsfolk can take refuge in our ship. I know it doesn’t look that way from the outside, but it’s very roomy. I would also suggest that all the buildings that are evacuated should have their doors left open, and the people should take their valuables with them.”

“Why?”

Ianto smiled reassuringly. “I don’t mean to insinuate that your people would steal from each other, but it still might be wise to remove any temptation, as well as avoiding the possibility that precious items could become damaged.”

“No, I understand that, but why leave the doors open?”

“Oh. Well, if no one is sheltering inside, there’ll be no reason not to give Harvester easy access. That way your people won’t need to repair all the doors, so that once the night is over, everyone can go home and be as secure as they were before, hopefully with less damage to deal with.”

“Ah, I see. That would seem reasonable. But what if, on finding no one on the farms he selects, Harvester turns his attention to one where the families have taken refuge?”

“That is a risk,” Jack agreed. “Maybe all the people should hide in our ship. It would only be for one night.”

“I think it unlikely that everyone would be willing to leave their homes and their animals completely untended,” Tanisa said. “But even if they did, it would only save their lives this one time. Eighteen years from now, when Harvester comes to collect his tribute once more, we will be in the same situation we are in at present, only with six farms to forfeit. And what will happen in the future, when there are no longer enough farms that he has not yet visited to satisfy his hunger? Will we once again find ourselves in the position of having no safe refuge to which we can retreat? I cannot see how attempting to evade Harvester this harvest time will make much difference to our situation in the years to come. Lives saved that would otherwise be lost, perhaps, but it will only be a reprieve, not a solution.”

“But if Jack and I can find a way to defeat Harvester, you might never have to worry about him again,” Ianto said. “Your settlement would be safe, and you’d be free to truly make this world your own.”

“But why would you attempt to fight Harvester, knowing that no one who has tried in the past has ever survived? It is gracious of you to offer, but this is not your world; you do not have to stay here. You could leave. You could even take with you any of my people who wish to go, if you were willing to do so, but if you stay, if you face Harvester…” Tanisa trailed off, confused and worried. “If you were to die, then none of us would have the opportunity to leave, even if any of us wished to. In a hundred years, if Harvester continues as he has thus far, there will not be a single farm left that he has not already visited, unless we are able to expand and settle more of this valley, and perhaps further afield. A thousand years from now, I fear there will be no one left at all.”

“We would of course willingly take everyone here to another planet, if that was what you wanted,” Jack assured her. “Anyone who wishes to leave need only say so and they will be welcomed aboard our ship. But we have no intention of dying.” Picking up a sharp knife that had been used earlier to peel fruit, he cut a deep gash across his palm before holding his hand out to Tanisa. She watched in disbelief as the wound quickly healed, not leaving so much as a scar. “We are very difficult to kill. Impossible, you might even say.”

“Which is why we’re willing to help you,” Ianto added. “That’s what we do, travel the universe and help those in need wherever we can.”

“At what cost to the people you help?” Tanisa was a shrewd woman, not suspicious but wary. “We are not a wealthy people. We have no means of trading with other planets, and such wealth as we have is measured in our crops and our herds.”

“No charge, beyond a chance to learn more about the universe we live in and the worlds we visit,” Ianto assured her. “Money and riches mean nothing to us. We have each other, we have our ship, and that is really all we need. Sometimes we invite people to travel with us for a time, company is always appreciated, but that’s never a requirement. Your hospitality is more than enough, good food and interesting conversation.” He smiled. “Many years ago, I died, trying to protect my world from aliens who wished to take our children. I thought that was the end, that I had failed, and yet somehow I was restored to life, and found the invaders had been destroyed, the children saved. What else should I do but use this new life I’ve been given to help others?”

“And you would chance your very existence for people you barely know?” Tanisa seemed to have almost forgotten Jack was there, she was so captivated by Ianto’s words.

“It wouldn’t be the first time. Not that either of us enjoys dying. It’s painful, and coming back is often worse, but for a whole colony? Yes, that’s a risk well worth taking.”

“And one we’ll happily take,” Jack agreed. “Now, about these corn grubs you mentioned. What are they?”

“A species native to this planet. They have a curious lifecycle. They emerge from the ground, newly hatched, the summer after Harvester comes. They grow slowly, at first feasting mostly on fallen grain, their numbers gradually increasing as they grow in size. When they are the perhaps the size of my hand, they burrow deeply into the ground once more, deep enough that they are not disturbed by the cultivation of our fields, and there they remain for several years. When next they emerge, they are considerably larger and able to climb. Our grain crops suffer as the grubs gorge themselves until they are so fat they can barely move, then no more than five days before Harvester comes, they return beneath the ground, where it is presumed they mate and lay their eggs before dying, but no one is entirely sure. It has never seemed worth the effort to investigate further. Our crops and our survival require all our efforts. Scientific discovery has thus far been considered low priority.” Tanisa almost sounded apologetic.

“Understandable,” Jack agreed. “And not a problem. But I would like to visit your grain fields tomorrow and see the corn grubs for myself, perhaps capture a couple for study. I won’t harm them,” he added.

“No one here would mind if you did. They are a pest we have been unable to eradicate, although the farmworkers kill as many as they are able to. The grubs are primarily nocturnal however, most remain hidden during the day, although there are usually a few to be found, those that were perhaps a little slow in returning to wherever they shelter during daylight.”

“So much the better, if they’re easy to catch in daytime. If they’re native to this planet, they may give us some clues as to what exactly Harvester is, and what part he plays in the local ecosystem.”

“One other thing,” Ianto said suddenly. He’d been sitting silently, apparently deep in thought, although Jack suspected he’d been communicating privately with their TARDIS. “Are there any pictures, drawings, any sort of images at all that depict Harvester? If we plan to fight him, it might be a good idea to have some idea of what we’ll be up against.”

“I should’ve thought of that,” Jack admitted sheepishly.

“Not that you ever do,” Ianto teased. “You just dive in headfirst without a second thought. You always have.”

“Hey!” Jack pouted. “I do have second thoughts!”

“Usually after the fact, when it’s too late for them to do any good.”

Tanisa smiled fondly at their bickering. The two men had arrived on Bounteous only two days previously, but no one who had met them could doubt how deeply they cared for each other. Seeing the way they joked with each other, the way they seemed able to almost read each other’s mind, made Tanisa curiously wistful, remembering her wife, gone these last five years. Vallesta had never been a strong woman, but she had been stubborn, spirited, and vibrant, despite frequent bouts of ill-health. She had been a musician and singer, and many of the ballads that were so popular these days, among townsfolk and farmers alike, were songs Vallesta had written.

“Yes,” she broke in before her dinner guests’ argument could go any further. “There are indeed pictures, and I too should have thought of that sooner, although I cannot speak fully for their accuracy, since I have never personally set eyes on Harvester, and something about him resists being captured on holocamera. There are sketches rendered from the descriptions given by the first witnesses, and others drawn by people who claim to have seen Harvester ravaging their neighbours’ farms. Even a few by a farmworker who fled when the farm he was working on eighteen years past came under attack. Those are the most recent. He was greatly in fear for his life, however, so his drawings may be somewhat exaggerated.”

“Well, we should like to see them anyway, and any earlier drawings that still exist. They should at least give us a rough idea of Harvester’s appearance,” Ianto said. “The more we can learn about him in advance, the better our chances of defeating him will be.”

“Of course. I will arrange for copies of all pictures, and all reports on Harvester, to be delivered to you by mid-morning tomorrow.”

“That will be perfect.” Ianto stood up. “Now, we really should take our leave for the night, we’ve kept you up late enough as it is. Until tomorrow.”

“Until tomorrow,” Tanisa agreed. She turned to Jack. “I will pass the word among the farm folk and find where there are still corn grubs above ground so that you may acquire your specimens.”

“Thank you, Tanisa, and thank you as well for a delicious dinner and stimulating conversation.” Jack gave a small but respectful bow, and the two men took their leave, returning to their TARDIS for the night.

TBC in Part 3