I was beginning to get a little nervous.

Rays of light flashed over our heads like fake stars in the twilight. The world we were on had three suns that were now setting. The lowest one was just peaking over the horizon. I sucked in a breath of the cool night air which was now stale with the scent of gasoline and charred flesh. Our squadrant had been pushed farther into the tree line to take cover. The field we had been fighting in was now lost.

My heart pounded against my rib cage. I had distanced myself from the captain while fighting and looking around now I could see the exhausted faces of the many men and women looking for their leader.

"Where the hell is the bastard?" I muttered to myself, searching the trees for him.

Another rain of bullets preseted themselves from the field. The enemy was closing in on us. I reloded my gun, though now I was worried it was too late. More people were falling around us. I squeesed the trigger and felt the miniscule explosion pound from the barrel of my rifle. Licking my lips I pushed my way toward the field. I could see the lights flashing off of heavy machinery.

So, the Alliance had decided that this battle was important. Interesting.

I was about to open fire on one of the larger vehicles that was firing at the troops, but a pair of hands pulled me down. I could feel myself trip into a crudely dug, shallow trench. Spitting dirt out of my mouth I made an attempt to scramble to my feet. The pair of hands pushed me down once more, pinning me to the moist, cold earth.

"What the-"

"Shut up."

It was Hoban. And when I got the chance, I'd kill him. But right now, I decided to listen to him. There were no more sounds coming from the feild. We both slowed our breathing and pricked our ears to the sounds around us.

A bird flew out of a tree. A rodent scuttled along some dried leaves. Then there were the sound of heavy boots falling along the ground. I held my breath and clutched the handle on my rifle.

I wouldn' let them get away. Not this time.

Hoban's grip on me loosened a little. I could tell that we were thinking the exact same thing. That was the good thing about Hoban and I. We'd known each other for so long it was as though we had no need to communicate. Hoban's hand went to his weapon as well. I dared to lift my face out of the dirt. I silently thanked my friend for his intentional face-planting.

Now my complexion would be better hidden. And the rest of my body, too

One...

I tensed the muscles in my body, preparing myself for the attack.

Two...

I could hear the soft sounds of their lungs filling with air as the enemy neared us.

Three...

I leapt out of the trench with Hoban towing close behind. We yelled and the surprised enemy did not even have time to respond. We emptied a clip in a few short seconds, watching the samll group fall to the ground. They were heaped in a pile, black leather and all. I sighed heavily and glanced over at my friend. He was breathing heavily, his mocha skin drenched in sweat.

I was about to put my hand on his shoulder and congratulate him, but there was a whistling sound over our heads.

Looking up I saw a light coming toward us.

"Go, GO!" I hollered as we made our way farther into the forest for cover.

Huddling against a tree we covered our head, waiting for the inevitable. Like every promising bomb there was a massive flash of light and the sky errupted above us, as though it were daylight once more. And then there was the ear-drumb breaking explosion. And silence. I cramped my eyes shut and it seemed like an eternity before I opened them once more.

Limbs and other body parts were laying across the shrubs and foliage of the forest. Their mouths were open in wide, painful O's. I could not hear them, and a part of me was thankful for that.

My ear drums were ringing loudly.

It was Hoban who shook me roughly out of my trance. He was speaking to me but I could only pick out parts of his speech. It was as though he were whispering. My eyes turned to his side and I could see my other companion, Maverik standing beside him.

He slapped me hard across the face.

And then my world turned back to normal, the ring fading to a satisfying buzzing.

"What the hell was that for!" I yelled over the din my own ears had created.

"Radio in Kai, and tell her to get us the hell out of here!" Hoban was answering for Mav.

I could feel myself hesitating. I was the only one out of the three of us with a proper radio that would be able to dispatch Serenity at our beck and call. We were in a situation unlike any of our other counterparts. I glanced around at the gorey scene that surrounded us.

"No! We can't just give up!" I protested.

"There's nothing more we can do," Mav's voice rationalized.

"We're just gonna let the Alliance win!?" I was still in shock over the small uprising that was taking place between the three of us.

Ignoring me, Mav reached for my belt and dispite my efforts to keep him away, pulled the radio off of it easily.

Pressing the contraption to his lips he said, "Kai? This is Mav calling, would you mind bringing our girl 'round to pick us up?"

"Gladly," responded the muzzy voice from the other end of the line, "where might you gentlemen be?"

Mav gave Kai our co-ordinates and clicked the radio off. "We'd better get a move on, she can't very well land in a pile 'o trees," Mav explained, getting ready to hike through the wilderness until we reached Serenity's cargo bay.

Hoban was right along side Mav and I was so tired from fighting and the like that it would have been all too easy for me to tag along with them. But then, I caught sight of a green leaf splattered in blood. And suddenly I felt guilty.

Then I heard a loud groan come from a thick oak tree. Peering around the trunk I noticed a leg lying badly broken and misshapen, attatched to it's woebegone owner. I'd noticed the prickly, proud chin anywhere.

"Captain Doyle?" I asked, so I could catch a full view of his body.

It was still incredibly dark outside. I had not noticed how seriosu his injuries were until I had a full view of his mangaled body.

"Reynolds?" he asked. I could hear a sense of releif in his roughened voice.

"Yeah Captain?" I asked getting ready to hoist him up over my shoulder.

"Nuttin'..." he trailed off.

I lifted one of my superior's heavy shoulders over my back and then I was able to carry his whole body weight, slung along my own shoulder blades. I began to make my way toward Hoban and Mav, who were looking down at me, their eyes wide.

"How's he doing?" asked Hoban. I could see that his chest was rising and falling in heavy, uneven pants.

I shook my head, "I can't be completely sure until we have him under a good light and cleaned up. From what I can tell though, he should need a few stitches."

"We'll have Mecca take a look at him," Mav said once more.

Mecca. It was good having the daughter of a doctor on Serenity. I could patch myself up if I wanted to; but for more serious situtaions like the one I was in right now it was nice having someone who really knew what they were doing around.

A few more bullets sounded from down the hill we were climbing. There were a few flashes of an eerie light an dscreams that were carried over the calm night wind. I once more sucked in a deep breath.

Son, you can't win 'em all.

My father's voice echoed in the far reaches of my mind. There was a part of me that wanted to turn back and fivght the last of the Alliance.

But the other, bigger half of me was done fighting for this little while and wanted a nice, warm bed to sleep in, food in my belly and a good friend to clean me up and look after me.

Looking away from the massacre that lay beneath the four of us, we made our way up the hill and nearer to safety.