The Firefly in the War
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Summary: Three years after Miranda, Serenity suddenly finds herself in the middle of a war…the one they created. It's worse than anyone could have imagined. Both militaries will do anything to secure a victory, and the crew is caught in the crossfire. Between battles, relationships grow and stakes are raised. Many things have happened in three years, and tragedy has forged strong bonds. However, it is the captain and his pilot who have become the closest of friends. When the Verse and their family are on the line, could it be that Mal and River hold the key to salvation? Will light come from darkness? Can they end the war and hold onto one another?
Rating: T (For violence)
Couples: This is an establishing Mal/River fan fiction with other couples in supporting roles
Genre: Romance, action, suspense, drama, humor, some fluff
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Chapter One: The Turtle and the Setup
"You're goin' a bit fast there," Mal warned as he stood in the middle of the bridge. River gave him a typical River look. "What? I don't want to make a hole in this nice planet."
"Piloting for three years, Captain. Know what I'm doing," she hummed, steering with her toes.
"Don't do that. I hate it when you do that. Can you not do that?"
"What?" she asked innocently as she wiggled her foot.
He shuddered, attempting to push the images of Serenity in little, burning pieces strewn about the surface. It wasn't that he lacked faith in River's piloting abilities. She was a fine pilot, and she did have three years under her belt. Honestly, he was convinced that the tiny slip of a witch was channeling Wash's spirit.
He'd catch her playing with his dinosaurs on occasion, and sometimes she'd wear one of his tacky shirts like a robe. Zoe gave it to her when she flew by herself for the first time, stating it was the last of her late husband's clothes and it should stay with a real pilot. The warrior women had bonded, albeit an odd sort of friendship. Everyone bonded with River, even Jayne to a degree, but Mal had certainly acquired the strongest relationship with her.
Even so, she was scaring the hell out of him.
"River…I'm going to ask you real nice like to put your hands on the gorram wheel one last time or I will take control of my boat."
She giggled and batted her big eyelashes at him. "Yes, Captain. Since you asked nicely."
As they started their decent, she switched over to her hand and Mal grabbed the co-pilot's chair. "River, slow down. Slow. Slow. Slow!"
Without even shaking the ship, she landed perfectly. Mal's face was whiter than one of Simon's pressed shirts. He heard the reader giggling again and singing softly, "Higher velocity in the descent is not a problem if you calculate the rate of the wind and the effects of gravity at the angle of landing. Strong wind and obtuse angles counter the high speed."
She ended with a wide smile, and he shook his head with a stoic expression not unlike Zoe's. "You just like scaring me."
"Exploiting your lack of trust, Captain."
"I trust you. It's just that I ain't used to your fancy tricks yet."
"One thousand, two hundred and seventy-nine days, twenty-three hours and nine seconds, and you have yet to adapt to my eccentric and mathematically sound maneuvers."
"That ain't true. I'm very good at adapting. Just 'cause you can fly with the best of them doesn't mean that something can't go wrong. You could of slipped off the wheel or who knows what."
She tilted her head to one side as she made a calculation. "I will choose not to take offense. Your stubbornness and extremely tight pants are to blame for your grouchiness."
His brow furrowed and lips drooped. "Hey."
"It is an accurate statement, Captain."
He hated how she would say it. Captain. It was quick and stiff, almost like she was chiding him for something. Sure, he liked that she respected his authority, but they were friends. It didn't have to sound so formal. She had learned that tone from her doc brother, of course.
"Don't blame Simon," she smirked as she spun in the chair. "His vest is tighter than your pants."
That caused a chuckle to bubble in his throat. "This is true, little albatross. Now, since Jayne and Zoe will be with me on this job, you're in charge. I conjure that a pilot should pull rank on the mechanic and her doc boyfriend."
She couldn't hide her enthusiasm. This was only the second time she was left in charge in the history of her time aboard the ship, and it showed just how much Mal believed in her. It surely hadn't started that way. After Miranda, they spent countless hours flying Serenity. He was too scared to leave her alone for the first few months, so they would talk or sit in a comfortable silence. Those moments led to a peculiar bond. Soon, they spent time together besides flying their boat. However, it was tragedy that truly brought them together.
For once, Mal found the courage to ask Inara to stay on Serenity. She gladly accepted and they began their relationship. Months after Miranda, she finally revealed the secret that she tried so desperately to escape. She didn't have much time left in the Verse. It was a rare disease that she inherited, and it had caught up to her at last. Their relationship only lasted six months before her health deteriorated. Simon did all that he could, but there were no modern cures. Mal laid beside her in the shuttle for a final night, as when he woke she was gone.
He refused to talk about it with anyone. If he sat with Kaylee, she would cry and try to mourn with him. Simon would speak medical jargon to explain that it couldn't be helped. Jayne would attempt to take him out for drinks and women. Zoe understood because she lost Wash, but they were both too reserved to discuss such topics. Vulnerability wasn't allowed between soldiers, so Zoe knew to avoid the captain when she could and act normal when they had to work together. It was like they were trying too hard to pretend they were both all right.
River was the only one that he felt comfortable around. She didn't talk about it. She didn't say much at all actually, and he didn't have to say anything either. She could feel what he was going through, so he felt almost safe sitting with her on the bridge. He didn't have to try be open; it was automatic. When they chose to speak, it was never about his pain or loss. Through her metaphors and technical talk, he found a weird form of therapy. To know that she heard everything in his mind and it didn't change anything between them, well…it happened to change everything. Though his heart healed in time, the scar remained. If it wasn't for his odd little pilot, he would have lost his mind and maybe even his life.
However, at that very moment, he was getting annoyed by the slip of a girl. "River, don't let the power go to that genius head of yours."
She was in a pair of his suspenders and standing in her best captainy pose on the catwalk of the cargo bay. "Must be the captain, Captain. She's going to make her brother do the laundry."
"Maybehaps you didn't hear me before, but I believe that I told you to not let the power go to your head."
"Genius head. Kaylee has to clean the kitchen after she cleans the engine. Captain's orders."
He smirked at how happy he had made her. "Fine. Boss them around all you want. Just make sure I don't have a mutiny when I get back."
"Understood, Captain."
They shared a nod as Mal retreated down the steps to Jayne and Zoe. She looked up at River with a curious expression. "Is she in your suspenders?"
"Don't ask. Let's get this job over with."
While they left to meet their contact, River gave her orders to Simon and Kaylee. At first, they didn't believe that she was really in charge, but they then realized that Mal hadn't spoken to either of them. He usually told Kaylee to watch Serenity, and this time he didn't even wave goodbye. Reluctantly, they gave River her moment and went about their chores.
Upon reaching their contact, Mal noticed immediately that something was wrong. Their friend, Turtle as he was called, wasn't sitting at his usual table. He also lacked his usual whiskey. In fact, he lacked anything to drink at all. His body was restless and twitchy. As his head looked about the tiny bar, his finger went to his ear and his lips moved.
"This ain't right. It just might be a setup," Mal murmured to his crew.
"We don't got any money, Mal," Jayne reminded him. "Last I checked, we were almost out of ammunition and food. I think we have to check it out."
Zoe sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Jayne. We can't back out if it's legit."
"If you sense any trouble, we get out. This is the perfect place for an ambush," Mal muttered to the others with another worried glance at Turtle.
They slowly sat around the table, which was positioned in the back corner of the joint. Turtle forced a shaky grin and nervously played with the tiny strip of hair dangling from his chin. "So, I have a job. Real simple. I need some illegal rations moved. You get forty percent."
That was another sign. Turtle always started at twenty percent and allowed them to haggle. Mal's eyes swept the place, but he didn't see anything odd. "Where are the goods?"
"I have them in an old barn outside of town. It's only five or ten minutes from here on foot. Less than that by mule."
Zoe noticed as well that this was wrong. It was too close to town and far too noticeable. His goods were always two hours away or even hidden on a nearby moon. This reeked of deceit. She decided to press for more information. "What about the buyer? Where are they?"
"I haven't gotten their location yet. They said they'd send it once I had a smuggler."
It was Jayne's turn to understand the situation. Turtle was never so sloppy. He sent a sideways glance to the others, and both Mal and Zoe nodded in understanding. They pulled their guns beneath the table and Turtle leapt jumpily at the sight. His voice stuttered and sweat filled his cheeks. "What the hell are ya doing here?"
"Funny, I was going to ask you the same question. This is all wrong and you know it. It's a setup. Who exactly are you working with? Who wants us? Or is it the ship?" Mal pressed while readying his gun to fire.
Turtle's eyes were laden with guilt. "I'm sorry, Mal. You know that I consider you and yours one of my own, but I had no choice. They said they'd kill me."
"Who?"
On the ship, Simon was searching for firefly class ships while doing laundry. His encyclopedia sat atop the closed washer as he folded various articles of clothing. Kaylee asked him to search for other ships, for she needed a few unique parts for the engine. To his surprise, Serenity was one of the first ones mentioned. A bright red banner crossed the page. Their ship was wanted and for a hefty reward.
"Kaylee! River!" he shouted. "There's something interesting. It's the ship. It's listed as a threat. They're willing to pay a fortune for us."
Someone ran by the room and he popped his head into the hallway. River was running like something was wrong. She briefly glanced behind her. "I know, Simon. They're in trouble."
"Who?"
Mal glared at Turtle and asked the question again. "Who would kill you, Turtle?"
"Just go to the barn. Please. Or pretend to go. I'll say that you're going and you can run. Maybe I'll escape."
"Jus' tell us already," Jayne grunted. "We don't got all day."
Turtle's finger went to his ear and his face fell. "Oh no. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. They have the place under surveillance. They know that you figured it out. They're coming. We have to run."
"Who? Who is coming?" Mal growled for a final time.
The man named for a reptile lowered his head. "They want you and your ship. Serenity and her crew…they stared everything."
"Everything?" Zoe echoed.
His words hit like a bomb. "The Alliance wants you. Bad. They won't stop until you're theirs…for good this time."