Hale groaned and gently cradled his head in his hands, wishing he could tell the Gorram bell-ringer to just stop with the noise. He squinted a little, hoping it really was dark and not his eyesight failing him.
"It ain't nothing but the concussion talkin', Sir, I'm a sorry to say."
Hale startled badly, his head jerking back at the slightly amused voice to his right. "Boyd?"
"In the flesh."
"Ta ma de! If you're here with me, who's running The Beacon?" He growled as a horrible thought occurred to him. "Jacks? Wuh de ma. He'll have her sold in the time it takes to land."
The creak of his shipmate's leathers as he shrugged were loud in the dark, but comforting nonetheless because it was a sound Hale had heard for nigh on seven years now. Plus it signaled whomever or whatever had 'napped them hadn't stripped them raw either.
"I dunno, Hale. We were taken dirt-side, so the Beacon's probably parked where we left her."
"That's comfortin'. Patience ain't got a lot of patience, ya know? Who's to say she ain't gonna take it outta my hide by taking my ship?"
"Possibly. Or she could just shoot you again."
"Is that all you people talk about? I ain't even grudgin' on her for that one. It was years ago!"
"Hale, you know women have long memories and outlaws even longer arms. This coulda been set up by her."
The captain heard the tremor of concern beneath the calm practical tones of his corporal and nodded, instantly wishing he hadn't as pain spiked through his forehead. It was possible Whitefall's Mayor had traded them to the Alliance in return for them to leave the little Border planet alone, but it seemed too pat, too simple an explanation.
And simple wasn't exactly how their luck was runnin' these days.
"Gorram Laheys. Somehow this is their fault."
The protracted silence didn't make him feel any better neither; instead, it let the whirling bad and terrible and worse ideas creep even harder until they burrowed into his already sore noggin.
"Captain, I said they was trouble since the day they boarded."
"Shi, I know. Just..." Hale trailed off, fingers massaging the divot between his furrowed brows.
"Just ain't your style; especially seein' as Isaac carried family."
Memories swirled wetly and Hale closed his eyes against the burn.
The large white container opened with a whoosh, cold steam hiding the contents for a moment. Hale was sure this was drugs or something equally horrible for the Alliance to send an operative after Isaac, but even he was shocked when the air cleared enough to see a boy curled up like a babe in the womb.
"Oh," he muttered, unaware of the others for a moment. Rage seared him as an even worse picture formed in his mind: the Border planets were colonies of the Central Planets, true, but they were also so far out of the reach of normal Alliance patrols, they were allowed to police themselves. Boys and girls of a certain age were currency in the seedier sectors of the 'verse, and a man on the run had needs to be met.
"If you think for one Gorram minute I'm gonna let you use this -"
Hale's righteous indignation was cut short when hysterical screaming started and the boy popped out of his position like some demented jack-in-the box. He stumbled away from the container back towards the crew and passengers. Isaac, shaken from his stupor, strode past the captain and fell to his knees before the boy.
The boy was crouched with his long skinny legs clutched to his chest and arms wrapped around his knees. He didn't seem to see any of them, too locked in whatever his mind was replaying, his screams echoing loudly in the large cargo bay.
Isaac didn't hesitate to tug the balled boy into his arms, rocking back and forth while saying, "Genim! Genim, stop this. It's me, Isaac. I have you, baby boy, I have you. I promise!"
"No, no, no," Genim cried, "I gotta get out, fly free, haha, free, into the black."
"We're safe now, we're safe."
The naked crying boy clutched the long-sleeved arms tenderly tucked around him, tears streaking his uncomprehending face.
"They'll touch me again; their cold hands. They'll tear us apart..."
Isaac's bright blue eyes clenched shut with the force of the agony etched across a suddenly old face, his tousled blond curls damp with sweat.
"No, Genim, we're safe, I got you away from them. We're in space not on the ground. I promise you, we're safe."
Hale couldn't take his eyes off the long silvery scars striping Genim's back, proof something terrible had been done to him.
"What the hell is this?"
Isaac didn't look away from the boy when he said, "This is my brother."
"You can't blame yourself for this, sir. You told Isaac the day they became too much of a burden, you'd tell them to walk. It was their time."
Hale started to nod, but checked himself because he didn't want to bother his head again, and because he knew Boyd wouldn't see the gesture anyway. Something burned, deeper and older than the current situation accounted for, but he'd be damned if he'd name it.
"That's neither here nor there now. What we need to be worried on is how in Five Gorram Hells we're getting out of here. You slackin' on your duties, Boyd."
"Yes, sir, you're so right. Let me get right on that. I mean, being tusseled and tied after knocked dizzy and thrown into a black pit is a mere inconvenience."
"I'm glad we're seeing eye to eye."
"Your humor is 'preciated as always."
The silence that fell after their jawing was comfortable and worn, a hold over from their time in the trenches together. They couldn't escape, not really, and both knew it, but it felt right and proper to at least noise about like they could. Hale reached out and out and out until he came against Boyd's bulk, fingers brushing up and down until he located the other man's hands. They were tied behind his back and the restraints wound around his whole upper body until it peaked at his throat, the ends curled inward so it formed a dangerously sharp point against his Adam's apple. He couldn't tell by feeling what they used as restraints, though he could at least tell the material was stronger and slippery than baling wire. Either way, it showed foresight on their captor's part because his Corporal couldn't do much without use of his upper body, and any fast motion would send the stake through his throat.
Boyd's laughter after Hale's long-winded cursing should've sounded strange, but here in the unrelenting dark, so unlike the black of outer space, made him feel as if things weren't too badly off. Five Hells, they'd gotten out of worse before and would do so again.
This cheery thought was front and center in his brain right up until the door opened, light spilling in from the hallway and back-lit the person standing in the doorway. The shadows made it hard to clearly see who was thereso Hale did what Hale does best: talked.
"We outta talk about this, you know? I mean, it just ain't right you takin' honest workin' folk right afore they go off-planet." He was still betting on the supposition Patience hadn't sold him out - she was more the kind to take it out of his hide personally instead of through a third party - so he figured he could fake it until they made it. It should work. Right? "Now if you let us go now, there'll be no hard feelins' and you go your way and we'll go ours."
"Interesting thought, Captain Hale, but sadly I'll have to decline you're very generous offer."
Hale could feel Boyd stiffening against him, clearly recognizing the silky tone caressing each word. Too bad the wall was far enough away he couldn't slam his head against it, thereby causing a blackout and allowing him the opportunity to avoid what was promising to be a very horrible time starting as soon as their captor stopped talking. Oh yes, the talking always stopped right before the screaming began.
"Ni ta ma de. Tianxia suoyoude ren. Dou gaisi."
"Well said, but you do realize you're including yourself in the curse, right?"
"Iffen me dying takes you to the Five Hells with me, it's a curse well spent!"
"Now, now, dear one, one would think you weren't happy to see me."
"You'd be right," Hale muttered beneath his breath, but he didn't need to look to see their captor had heard his words. Freaky devil hearing!
"As charming as always. Now lets get down to brass tacks, k? I need some information that you boys possess; this doesn't need to get ugly. In fact, just give me what I want and you'll be let go, easy peasy lemon squeezy."
The offer sounded too good to be true and probably was.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing you have on that delightful hunk of space crap you call a ship, unfortunately. Your crew is all unharmed and will continue to be as long as you
"There's no call ta being insultin' a man's ship!"
'That's what you're focusin' on right now, sir?"
"Boyd, there's insultin' and then there's being Gorram insultin'."
"My how the two of you haven't changed, it's wonderful." The voice turned from saccharine sweet to hard edged. "But time's a wasting. Give me the information and we'll all go home happy."
"Well, I ain't heard nothing but insults, so I can't help ya yet."
He didn't need to see upturned lips on his captor's face to get a bad feeling. Anything that makes the devil smile will make an angel weep - not that Hale cottoned to any religious talk, you see, but a saying's a saying regardless of where it came from.
"Now all you need to give me is the location of the last place you dropped off the Laheys. And yes, I mean both Laheys. I have it on good authority Isaac somehow managed to spring his brother from the very special school they send all the good little Central Core Planets' geniuses to. Now normally I wouldn't dream of interfering with family -" here Hale couldn't help but snort "-but the bounty is very large on their heads. Of course, more if they're captured alive, but these things happen especially on the out of way planets unlawful folk such as yourselves like to frequent, so doubtful they'll question much if one or both comes back in caskets."
Boyd didn't say a word, nor would he, but Hale knew he wanted to sing their last known destination from the top of his lungs. His woman was among those captured on the ship and he needed to ensure her safety; Five Hells, Hale would rather gut himself than hurt Boyd or Lydia because they were family. The Laheys, despite their time on the Beacon, hadn't earned his loyalty in the same way the others had.
"I got your word my people won't be hurt?"
"My words to God's ears."
Shame tasted heavy on his tongue as "Planet Beaumonde" fell from his lips in an almost breathless exhale. He didn't know why it should be since defeat was a common enough experience for him, running on the outside of the law as he did. He wasn't breaking any pacts, secret or otherwise, and he knew no one on The Beacon would fault him for giving up the brothers. They'd caused more trouble in the past six months than anything the outlaws had managed to get into in the past six years.
The hand that ruffled his hair caused an audible growl to rise to his throat. He hated being touched, especially by blood-drenched hands. His weren't any better, but at least he knew what they'd done last.
"Good boy, and for your reward, I'll let your people go. I'll even transport you and Boyd back to home sweet home."
Hale kept still because the other shoe hadn't dropped yet.
"It'll be fun flying with you again."
"Uh, what?"
"You didn't think I'd actually take the word of an outlaw, did you? I mean, I know you have a twisted sense of honor which precludes you from lying outright, but I've known you long enough to realize you can skirt the truth without bothering your conscience any."
"So...?"
"So, you will fly me to Beaumonde and help me track down the Laheys."
Yup, the other shoe had dropped now.
A/N: Since the show didn't ever provide translation for the Chinese phrases they used, neither did I. They are, however, ones I lifted from the show, so if they're used incorrectly, don't blame me! I have no idea where this came from other than it kept bouncing around in my head while I was trying to sleep. Hopefully once it's written down it will stop haranguing me and let me have some peace and quiet! I obviously took some liberty with the story flow since in the show canon, Whitefall job happened before anything else, but this is how my dream went, so this is how the story goes.
