Post Serenity; life after Miranda:
Episode 1, Chapter 1
"Wha'do we got, little one?" Mal asked River, who often took the helm.
"It's a distress beacon from a Wraith, Light Combat assault class ship, designation..."
"Neve rmind all that, where is it comin from and are there any other ships in the vicinity?" Mal asked, interrupting river per his usual habit.
"Not that I can see Captain. The Ship is 4 degrees off the starboard side, exactly 27.78061 A.U.'s ahead, just outside that asteroid belt there to our side." River finished while pointing to an almost un-seeable point in space.
"Could someone be hiding in that belt?" Mal asked with his usual air of understanding.
"Well, I suppose so, however it would be very difficult. The belt is small and tightly compacted. It would take a very skilled pilot..." River was cut off again.
"One thing I never do is underestimate the piloting skill of the alliance, little one." Mal said smiling, giving reference to River having been born a member of the inner planet's alliance and proving to be a master pilot herself though she was only 18.
River smiled, knowing the Captain was being both serious and playful with her.
"River, can you tell me what happened to the ship?" Mal asked in an almost secretive tone.
River closed her eyes briefly and her face contorted like a child trying to see a math problem in their head. She opened her eyes and felt short bursts of finite pain in her head, which always seemed to focus on the areas of her skull where needles and incisions had once been made. Since the event on planet Miranda, River's psychic abilities had diminished to a large extent. She was, however, much closer to being herself as a result. But by trying hard, she could sometimes force images of events to come to her, though it was always easier to access the recent now in her mind rather than the past or future, which were often so painful to see that she would pass out and wake up with little to no memory of what she saw. The now was typically easy enough that she could do it with only minor pain, so long as she didn't try for too much detail.
"Blood!" River said in a low scream, before she come back to full consciousness.
"What?" Mal asked, plainly confused and a little worried.
"There is blood there." She pointed out towards the ship. "There was a fight, people are dead, cold. The alliance has been here. They attacked the ship, they killed the crew and made them cold. Someone still breaths, though they are asleep and very, very cold. Like when we first met." River finished her sentence, looking up to Mal with pleading eyes and borderline confusion as to what she herself was trying to say.
"Any alliance ships still around, River?"
"I can't feel any presence captain. All I feel is machine and the cold one." River expressed while rubbing her head near an old needle point.
"Okay, let's go check it out. If nothin else, maybe there will be some parts and cargo we can lift. But take it nice en slow. I don't want any surprises that we can't get away from."
Serenity pulsed into faster movement and her course changed by 4 to starboard, lining up perfectly with the Wraith. River took it slow, as she was directed, leaving the time to arrival several hours ahead. True to form, Captain Malcolm Reynolds called the crew into the mess hall for a briefing on what was found and what they were going to do about it. After Serenity had been badly damaged on Mr. universes moon, Mal had made a habit of getting Kaylee to join in on salvage operations to check for anything that could be used to make in flight repairs on his ship. Still coping with the death of Wash, Zoe often remained on the ship unless there was eminent danger. This wasn't so much at Zoe's request, but Mal's insistence. Without Wash, Zoe had become very distant with the crew and even Mal himself, though over the previous few weeks, she seemed to have toned down a great deal.
Upon informing the crew of the plan, everyone dismissed themselves to their respective areas for preparation. Kaylee went directly for the engine room to clean out her carry pack and get the key card which would start up the small hover transport that River had helped her build -to carry heavier items off from salvaged ships. Simon strolled into the Med unit to prep the operating table in case of injury and to make sure his emergency kit was ready, which it always was. Mal had only expressed the notion that River felt there was a lot of bodies on the ship, but didn't want to spook anyone with the notion of a cold but breathing man, so he didn't mention anything about wanting Simon to go aboard with his scout team.
Jayne simply walked back to his quarters. He typically kept his gear there, keeping none of his personal weapons in the ships weapons locker. Jayne seemed to spend more time in his quarters these days. He would never admit it to anyone, least of all himself, but the death of Shepherd Book had played very hard on him. Working out together and having even conversed on a regular basis with the reverend had created a bond for Jayne that he had rarely felt for anyone in his life. However, since Jayne hadn't really been much to anyone else on board the ship, only Mal and River noticed. Mal because he did like Jayne, in his way and River because of her psychic ability. She would sometimes feel Jayne staring at her, blaming her inside himself for the death of his friend.
Inara simply went to her shuttle, to pray. After choosing to stay on board Serenity, she had resolved herself to stay true to her position. Mals response to her when he offered to take her back to the planet he had rescued her from had made it clear that Mal felt deeply for her. The problem was, her training also allowed her the insight to notice that he was also still confused and hurt by the loss of Nandi. The tension between Mal and Inara remained as a side effect of this.
Malcolm went back onto the bridge with River -who he occasional called albatross as well as little one. Having no children of his own and seeing a sense of understanding in River towards him, Mal had begun to grow very fond of her company; even when her condition acted up. For River's part, she had come to identify with Mal as someone who was equally as broken inside. Though the circumstances were vastly different, both Mal and River had been pushed, hurt, and hunted by the Alliance. Both had the willpower to see the inherent villainy the government surrounded itself with. And two other aspects separately, but equally connected the two. Mal had become Rivers fatherly figure in the absence of her natural parents, being a man willing to be fatally protective if his people.; while River had become Mals silent confessor. Though River never spoke of Mals younger life, they were both aware she had gleaned most of it. In reality, River knew about Malcolm Reynolds then anyone still living, including Zoe.
The Wraith neared into view, looming just outside the asteroid belt. A small amount of Oxygen fumed out from several spots where the hull of the ship had been breached. River quickly calculated the exact distance and speed of the Wraith as it slowly rotated on a slow but eminent collision with the stone belt. River already understood that Mal wanted her to go with him on the Wraith. Her senses would be necessary if they were to find the breathing body. Zoe was asked to take the helm while Mal, River and Jayne waited for the final hook up to the Wraith. Once connected, the three would be the first team over to the wreckage where they would clear the area of some of the bodies (mostly for Kaylee's benefit) as well as doing an initial assessment of what happened to the ship. Once cleared, Kaylee would come aboard and start picking through for parts while Mal, Jayne, and now River would pillage what they could in regard to valuable cargo, foodstuffs, and Jayne's favorite pastime, weapons and ammunition. Jayne occasionally got lucky and found clips for Vira, which always put him in a better mood.
As expected, the Wraiths crew were dead. Some appeared to have died as a result of the initial attack, where the bulkhead's of the ship had some rupture. Life support still functioned, but was running overtime to keep up with the Oxygen loss. There was also ample proof that the vessel had been boarded, searched, then abandoned after every surviving crew member was shot down. Mal reasoned that the alliance left the ship either as bait or as a lesson. All the same, he was willing to trust in Rivers psychic abilities and Zoe's keen observations on the bridge to warn of impending danger. The team opted for a fast search, so the bodies of the slain crew were hidden in emptied storage containers, out of sight and Kaylee then boarded to begin her search for parts. The Wraith was an older model, so Kaylee had some faith that at least some of the parts used on the vessel would match some of Serenities criteria.
Part of the Cargo bay had been sealed off with a danger light flashing over the hold entry. The flash indicated a full breech of the hull, meaning no one would attempt to enter it while the ship was still in space. With Jayne safely looking for the ships armory, Mal and River stood alone, vexed by the cargo hold doors. River felt the presence of life inside, yet the silent alarm flashed red for a reason. Mal looked around, confused for a moment. River took the opportunity to override the door. Before Mal could stop her, the cargo doors opened. Mal took a step back, expecting to be sucked out into the vacuum of space, but the room on the other end was fully pressurized and perfectly stable. Someone had rigged the alarm to keep the alliance out of the cargo bay.
Mal gave River a frightful, disapproving glance before he walked into the cargo bay. River smiled, knowingly, then walked in behind him. The area was a mess, with containers of all sized just tossed about. Most were empty, so they had dispersed pretty violently during the initial attack. River stepped into the very center of the room and started looking around. She felt the presence close, but couldn't quite feel exactly where. Suddenly it occurred to her that the crew was trying to hide the person, therefore it would have to be out of sight. It would have to be beneath her.
After River and Mal had found the hidden latch to the sub bay inside the cargo hold, they managed to lift up a large cargo container -with the assistance of the cargo bay pulley. The container was a little colder to the touch then the other containers had been. Mal called for Kaylee and Jayne, Kaylee having just made it back onto the ship after her first trip with parts. True to tinkerers form, she had filled up the hovering storage device with a few things that could be used on Serenity and a bit more than a few things that couldn't, but still looked good enough to work and fun enough for her to play with. Upon arrival to the cargo bay, Jayne instinctively walked up to Mal's opposite side over the container. Kaylee pushed her Hover device up to the crate and waited for the two men to load the crate up. Just as Kaylee finished her weight adjustments for the load, Zoe popped in over the com, "Captain, I'm getting some kind of signal, looks like it's comin from that asteroid belt."
"What kind of signal, Zoe" Mal asked with concern, looking over at River.
"It's a beacon. I didn't feel it before, it must have just come on. Someone must of triggered it by motion!" River said in a grave, but calm voice.
"Captain, looks alliance to me! You better get your butts outta there fast!" Zoe said, not hearing anything River said.
Once everyone was back on board, River ran up to the bridge. Zoe was still at the main helm, so River simply took the co-pilots position and piloted the ship as fast as Serenity could go, away from the Wraith. In the moment of stress, River gleaned a small succession of visions, the Wraith being boarded by alliance troops, the corpses being found in the cargo crates and the vision of a very angry fleet captain giving the order to destroy the Wraith. She knew it would happen very soon, the alliance star ship was already heading towards the site.
Serenity osculated slightly as River pushed the engine. She hadn't plotted any direct course other then away from the direction the Alliance ship was approaching. Mal came up to the bridge to see what was going on. "Anyone following us?"
"No Cap'n, sensors r'not picking up any ships within range." Zoe said plainly
" River? Anything?" Mal insisted, wanting to be absolutely sure.
"No Captain. They want to search the ship again first. Then they will blow it up." River responded, slight despondence in her voice.
Malcolm walked back into the cargo bay after his exchange with River and Zoe. Feeling a little at peace with the knowledge that they got a clean get away; clearly excited for also having struck another small blow to the alliances will always put Mal in a good mood. Jayne, however, had managed to find a way to get under Mal's skin. Mal walked into the cargo bay with Jayne trying to figure how to open the heavy cargo crate. Inara was standing on the top rail, confused as to what had actually been going on.
"Jayne, step away from that crate!"
"What? But Mal." Jayne pleaded.
Mal walked to the control consol near the ladder, directly behind Jayne. Pressing the intercom, Mal summoned Simon to the cargo hold, "... and Doc, bring your med kit." Mal finished as an afterthought. Jayne, Inara and Kaylee were all looking at Mal suspiciously. Simon made it to the cargo bay only a few moments after Mal called for him. He immediately recognized the cargo crate; a type he had studied while working on his escape plan for River a year prior.
Simon started the re-animation cycle, which was expected to last about 2 hours. Jayne seemed annoyed that they couldn't just open the crate like Mal had done with River so many months ago. He didn't understand that River was a special case and that no one actually knew she would be able to re-animate herself as she had. After a few moments, general boredom drove Jayne and Mal back to their own routine's, with Mal giving Simon an order to let him know when the process was nearly complete. Simon and Zoe stayed near the container, Simon out of medical concern, Zoe out of security concern. Kaylee stayed for a while out of curiosity, but her need to get back to the engine room finally did her in. She kissed Simon tenderly, then went back to her station.
When the Cargo bay went silent, Simon began to converse with Zoe; not something they usually did. "So, Zoe, how have you been holding up?" he asked meagerly.
"I've been better." Zoe stated plainly, never looking at Simon
Simon simply couldn't think of anything further to say, so he let the conversation end. To his surprise, began to talk to him again after a fifteen minute pause.
"Listen Doc, d'you have anything for heartburn?"
"Heartburn?" Simon looked at Zoe, somewhat perplexed, "Um, sure. Take this, it's called Haufidhil. Great for heartburn, indigestion and, other things." Simon finished with a slight grin on his face.
"Other things... Doctor?" Zoe questioned, as if re-stating Simons comment.
"Oh, it's also been used as an abortive. That was its original design actually, but it seems to work really well on other problems for women who aren't pregnant." Simon said, completely unaware of Zoe's growing concern.
"No thanks Doctor, I think I'll pass."
"Oh, it's really quite alright. It won't harm you at all, unless your preg..." Simon paused, realizing what had just happened.
Zoe looked at Simon angrily. Without speaking, she made it very clear that Simon wasn't to say anything.
Just over an hour and a half went by and the crew, straggled their way back into the Cargo Hold. Only Jayne remained absent, having already forgotten about the container. Simon took the crew's return to the cargo bay as an indication to open it. Though the cycle still had a few minutes left, it was unlikely to cause any great or lasting harm to the person or thing inside. River seemed the most curious. Whether because she herself had once been frozen or because she had felt the presence of the container and the person inside it, was a mystery to Mal and Simon both. Simon began the final re-animation cycle; the container cracked open as a layer of ice broke inside the crate.
After Mal, Simon, and Zoe carried the body into the infirmary, Simon began his usual run of quick diagnostics. The male figure on the table was alive, apparently very healthy in spite of being locked onboard an attack ship that had been all but destroyed and left in space. During the diagnostic process, Simon noticed a small machine insert at the base of the strangers head, right at the top of his neck. Simon rightfully figured this was a synaptic connection meant to infer information from a computer directly into the brain. Something the alliance had been doing in secret to its most gifted citizens, like River.
Episode 1, Chapter 2
Chapter 2 will begin with the stranger waking to find himself on Serenity. Disoriented and confused by events, he will be interrogated by Mal, who fears he may be some kind of alliance weapon. The stranger isn't like River, however. Though he will have been given extensive combat training, his primary education has been politics. What the crew finds out through their new passenger will frighten some, while reviving old ideals in others.