Mal was sat snoozing in the cockpit of Serenity

Mal was sat snoozing in the cockpit of Serenity.

He snored happily in the pilots seat a tatty blanket wrapped around his shoulders and his head cocked to one side. He should have been awake to see the red flash that was coming from the vicinity radar screen. Something was approaching.

Keighley threw another spanner down into her toolbox and wiped yet more engine grease onto he dungarees and then brushed her hair out of her eyes. She was trying to fit the air filter back into the engine. They needed a new one that's what River had been carrying for her. River was also there she was holding the part up to where it should go in the engine. He tongue was stuck out and one eye closed as though she was imagining what the part would look like in place.

Simon siphoned through the collection of drugs on board taking an up to date inventory taking account of the new stock he now had from the addition of new supplies. He flicked though a clipboard and looked down at the drugs they had run out. He went down the list till he saw that they had no more of something, then he moved over to some boxes which had now been put on patients table. He flicked through the capsules to find what he wanted and the corrected his list and placed it into its usual spot in the cupboard.

Zoë was keeping herself occupied and sat in the same room as Jayne in the kitchen area. Jayne had taken his gun apart and the two looked at it admiringly as much as the man irritated her. She had to admit that he had good taste in firearms and always had an eye for them.

The two strangers hadn't appeared from their bedroom and hadn't even been introduced to most of the crew.

Mal was suddenly awoken when there was a sudden flash of a red light followed by a low sound of the siren. He awoke wondering what the hell was going on unable to focus quite properly he rolled his head around trying to figure out and then he glanced across to see the vicinity screen it was flashing red.

"Fu tai!" he exclaimed casting his blanket off him and leaning over to the pilot's control panel. They were being messaged, he flicked on all the monitors they were also being scanned for all life signs. He stood up and ran over to the radar screen, which was by the co-pilots seat he reached the screen and then slammed the metal area next to it in anger. It was an alliance battleship that wanted to speak to them.

Mal let out another rage outburst by kicking the side of the control panel.

He opened the communications channel with a flick of the switch.

A man who was quite mature looking who had the signs that he hadn't shaved that morning appeared in the screen. His skin was slightly tanned and his hair was waxed back.

"Am I addressing the Captain of the ship Serenity, Firefly class?" the man asked

"You are, what can I do for you admiral." Mal replied putting on his fake smile.

The man seemed to stare at Mal for a moment as though he was judging him as though he thought Mal was lying. He also took a moment to glance down at the monitor. The battle ship was over twenty five minutes away.

"I am Admiral Smite. I understand that you are transporting two people you shouldn't be."

Simon…River! Mal thought.

"Oh really, all the people on this boat are legitimate fliers sir, we take the odd passengers for money, but who doesn't in this galaxy." Mal replied feigning ignorance.

"I'm sending two fighters to board your ship Captain to retrieve these criminals, I trust you're going to offer no resistance?"

"Wouldn't dream of it." Mal said smiling. The communications then ended.

He grabbed the on board communicators and pulled in close to his mouth.

"This is your Captain, you may have just heard the alarm, we're going to be boarded by two Alliance fighters looking for two fugitives, we don't have…" he glanced over to the door and saw the man he had introduced onto the ship. He was standing there in his large black coat again and this time he held a revolver type gun in his hand and it was pointing at Mal.

"What the?" he asked.

"Don't stop we're getting out of here." The man said cocking the gun, "you give us up to them and I swear I'll spray you're brains over this cockpit."

"What!" he exclaimed.

"Get us out of here now!" the man shouted.

"I don't…wait they're after you two?" Mal said only just realising what the man was talking about.

"I'm going to but I don't know how to out run fighters in this bug." Mal continued.

The man let out a sigh and lowered the gun; he then quickly took off his coat. He quickly took it off as he was obviously baking underneath it.

Mal was shocked at what he saw. The man was wearing the uniform of an Alliance pilot. The blue combat trousers and black combat boots. He also wore the black flak armour over a blue combat shirt. His shirt was open neck and revealed a cross sitting in between the gap of his collarbone.

Mal glanced at the man's sleeve and saw the markings of a lieutenant. They had an Alliance officer on board. He holstered his handgun into his thigh holster and looked at the room as though he was examining it. He then seemed to tighten the fingerless gloves that he wore.

He then moved towards the pilot's seat, "Move, I'll get us out of this." He said ushering Mal with his hands to move.

Mal stood up at little confused and was almost tempted to say something about the fact that he was the Captain on the ship, but they had other things to worry about than the chain of command of the vessel.

The man flicked several switches,

"We're going to have to stop for more fuel after this." He said not taking his eyes away from the monitors.

They were only a few minutes from the nearest planet. It wasn't much as far as Mal could remember just a wasteland planet with a few miners on it and the odd space travellers seeking at little bit of rest. As the man continued to hammer at switches and then eventually gripped the pilot's controls the cockpit flashed red all around again they were being hailed again.

Mal flicked on the monitor again.

The admiral appeared on the monitor with an expression mixed of anger and confusion.

"Captain, our scanners have noticed you have fired up your engines, what are you doing?" he asked in a commanding tone.

"Sorry I just realised I've let something in the oven, need to get home and take it before it burns" Mal replied flicking the screen off again.

"You better know what you're doing kid." Mal said to the man who was now going as fast as the ship could towards the planet.

"I'm not a kid, name's Lieutenant Jones…or Ben, whichever you prefer" he said not taking his concentration away from the controls.

They were making good progress when they heard footsteps behind them and most of the crew pilled into the cockpit.

"What the hell's going on Mal" Jayne asked grumpily, he then noticed the Alliance pilot sat at the controls of the ship. His gun came out of his holster faster then Mal had ever seen him react and pointed at the pilot. "Who's he?"

The pilot didn't seem to bothered by this and managed to simply glance once over his shoulder as if to confirm if he'd heard the sound of a gun being cocked.

"Jayne, relax, the Alliance they're after him, he's a pilot." Mal quickly explained urging him to lower the firearm.

"I told you there wasn't something right with him." Zoë said, like someone who had just accomplished a huge victory.

"Okay okay, so you were right, but we don't have time for this the Alliance fighters are going to catch up with us in around," he glanced at the radar, "ahhhh fu shi shang di ma! Two minutes"

"I say we stop and hand him over to the Alliance." Jayne said as thought it was the best idea in the world. "There might even be a reward." His grin seemed to stretch from ear to ear.

"Do you actually have a brain up there or do you just use it as something to grow more body hair out of?" Mal asked, "We give up these guys they're going to find River and Simon. Plus how do you think they're going to react when they realise that we know where the Revears come from?" he was almost shouting at the gorilla that had somehow managed to pass as a human being.

The ship began to shake as they entered they began to enter the atmosphere of the planet.

"Who's the engineer on the ship?" the pilot suddenly spoke.

"I am, Keighley's my name" Keighley spoke up she'd been silent until now.

"Right, I need you in the engine bay, I'm going to need you're help for this." He said.

"What are you going to do?" Keighley asked like an excited child.

"The Whiplash manoeuvre, ever done one before?"

"Something similar" she replied.

"Good now get ready for when I tell you, everyone else strap yourselves in, this is going to test this old bug." The pilot said as Keighley disappeared down the stairs and rushed out to the engine room.

Mal grabbed the intercom and pulled it to his mouth. "Simon, River and er…lady who I don't know the name of, strap yourselves up this is going to be a bumpy ride." He said.

Jayne and Zoë quickly hurried out of the cockpit to find somewhere to keep them strapped in.

Serenity seemed to thrash it's way through the atmosphere the Alliance fighters now only a minute away and approaching fast.

The old ship fought its way into the planet and then seemed to hurtle towards the ground.

Ben managed to pull it up level although if they wanted to make a landing they would literally slam into the planet and not much would be left of them.

Ben leaned over the control panel and hit a switch; the whole ship seemed to shut down. The engines were now off.

"What are you doing?" Mal shouted as they hurtled towards the planet surface at an alarming speed.

The fighters were only moments behind them.

"Shut up!" the man snapped. He reached up and grabbed the intercom, "Keighley now, do it now!"

Keighley looked around and then grabbed at lever that was located next to the engine and was bright red. She gripped it and forced it back.

Outside the fuel reserves were dumped behind Serenity and fell towards the ground like a black waterfall.

Ben reached over to the engine starters and flicked them up. The engines fired to life and he slammed on the turbo injector fuel engagers as well.

The fuel that had been dumped exploded from the flame that was in close proximity to it. The fuel expanded and Serenity combined with it's own turbo engine was fired upwards into space.

He gripped the controls as they shattered through the planet's atmosphere and then he seemed to tap various controls as the ship entered it's calm like status in space. He looked at the navigation screen and typed something in and then slammed the engines even harder projecting them even further into space.

After a few moments he sat back in the chair with a sigh and looked across at Mal. He smiled for the first time as Mal could tell.

"We're safe," he said. "We've got just about enough fuel for a landing but the momentum will keep us going to the next planet where we can refuel."

Mal nodded, "I think you owe us all an explanation."

"I guess I do." Ben replied.