"Well..." Riddick gave his typical predatory smile. "That was an adventure."
Jack jumped into the air, "I can't believe we outran an Alliance cruiser!!!"
They had found an "abandoned" cargo hollar. Which the Captain decided to board, on the off chance there was anything to salvage.
They ended up finding the remains of a Reaver attack.
Thanks to their new long Range sensors, they had been able to pick up an Alliance cruiser, heading their way. So they acted fast. Bringing onboard as much goods as possible. While Kaylee deactivated a booby-trap they triggered, while docking with the ship.
They did find a survivor, but after giving him a sedative, and basic physical, they decided to leave him for the Alliance.
They loaded up a few million's worth of unmarked goods, before hightailing it out of there. The Alliance never even saw them, thanks to the cloaking signal. Which Masked everything, down to their heat signature.
"Yes it was very exciting," Book drawled. "Although I still think we should have taken that man onboard."
Mal placated, "The Alliance be more qualified to handle trauma like that. If there weren't a ship coming, I would have agreed with ya, but seeing as there was, activating the distress beacon was the best we could do."
Book sighed.
While Riddick growled, "It would have been kinder to kill him."
"I reckon so," Mal acknowledged.
The rest of the crew clearly had their disagreements on that. "But sometimes you got to bend to the law of public opinion." Something he hated acknowledging. But he couldn't afford to get in an arguement with his crew, while the Alliance was fast approaching.
"We're another Week from the job, in the meantime, Zoey," turning to his first officer. "Make some calls, see who's interested in buying what."
"Roger that, Sir," Zoey left the cargo bay, where most of the crew was storing the goods in their new hidey-holes, to meet her Husband on the Bridge. As that's were the wave screen was.
River had a sick feeling... that they made a terrible mistake... as she could hear screaming in the void.
After the goods were stored, and they got some distance from the Alliance. Mal attempted to have a relaxing moment to himself.
Going down to his small library, and looking for a book. He was just about to pick one, when the ship's internal comm went off.
Mal growled, "Computer, Answer the Comm." As there was now a primitive Virtual Intelligence on board. Most of the things, that used to require buttons, were voice activated now.
"Captain!!!" Wash's voice was frantical, "That Alliance Cruiser is sending out a distress call. They've been boarded, and are under attack."
Mal's blood ran cold, "Did the Reavers come back?"
"They didn't say," Wash brushed that off. "But they must have. And there are no other Alliance Vessels anywhere near them, or even in this Sector."
Mal growled, he wouldn't wish Reavers on his worst enemy... which was exactly what the Alliance was. But... "We can't risk our crew in another Reaver attack," A good portion of the crew weren't even combatants. Much less Reaver ready.
"Captain..." Wash held a near beg to his voice. "There are children onboard."
Mal froze all over again. "Gorram it," He cursed. Before ordering, "Turn us around, full burn."
"Aye Aye, Sir!"
"Computer," Mal called, "Contact Riddick, Zoey, And Jayne."
"Yeah Captain," was the general idea behind three distinct voices.
"Get your gear ready, and meet me at shuttle 2." Mal ordered, "We're going Reaver hunting."
Jayne was NOT happy. No, he would say, though never outloud, that he was gorram TERRIFIED!!!
While River, moon brain that she was, was annoyed.
"I can help!!!" the tiny, 14 year old girl, raged.
Mal scowled, "I ain't arguing this. You stay on the ship, away from the Reavers!"
River scowled right back, but said nothing.
Mal took the combatants, and got on the shuttle. Before flying over to the Alliance vessel."
They had left their Ship, and boarded the Alliance vessel on the Shuttle. No way Mal was risking his own non-combatants.
It took all of 5 minutes, for the 4 Outlaws to explain they were a "Mercenary Ship" with experience with "Rogue combatants". So they were quickly allowed to board.
Meeting them at the docking port, was the Commander of the Alliance vessel, himself. A Commander Harken, an obviously wet behind the ears kid, on his first tour out to the Boarder. He was young, likely gaining his rank through fancy education, rather then experience. Riddick noted he smelled of fear, and desperation.
"It started with the surgical team, working on him... then progressed to the nursery... the things done to the babies..." The young man looked sick, and Mal felt a tad green himself. "Now, He's just running around, hiding, and killing at random. On a ship with more then a thousand people... I've lost nearly a tenth of them, in under half an hour... How the hell can one man do all this?"
Mal felt sick... as he realized, "He's a Reaver." the survivor was a Gorram Reaver! A Reaver they left to the tender care of a ship filled with children!!!
"Normally I'd argue that," The young commander sighed. "But after what I've seen... it's a-" he spouted off curses in Chinese, "Reaver... and it hailed another ship... There are more Reavers on the way, and we can't even handle one!"
"River!!!" Mal screamed over the comm.
"River?" The commander looked like he realized something. But Mal would have to deal with that later.
The Reaver vessel had arrived, but instead of running away, as Mal ordered his ship, River had taken one of the other shuttles... and flown straight for the Reavers.
Mal was raging, as Riddick was currently grappling hand to Hand with their own Reaver. Zoe and Jayne, on the Alliance Commander's insistence, where giving cover fire... with those worthless nonlethal weapons. No wonder the Reaper did so much damage on this ship. It was shrugging off the stunners with ease.
Mal was ordering the, literally, crazy girl "Return to the ship immediately!!! RIVER!!!"
"She's docked with the Reaver Vessel," Wash gulped. "She's left the shuttle."
"River Tam..." The commander speculated. Looking at the Captain of the modified Firefly... it was too big a coincidence. True, the reports didn't say anything about the ship, she was last seen on, being modified, but the report also didn't even say what she was accused of... and the girl just saved his own ship...
Sitting across from the pair, the Commander listened to the girl's story... it was too fantastic to be a lie... the girl was a fugitive for no other reason then she escaped from experimentation.
Medical scans, his VI discreetly took, confirmed her accusations... the girl was heavily modded, with Alliance grade mods... and scarring to her very brain. The young commander heard rumors of victims like this girl... but he always chocked it up to campfire stories... like Reavers.
This girl was designed to be a weapon against Reavers... he could use that... and do a good deed at the same time.
After River finished her story, The Commander looked at Mal. The 3 of them were alone in his office, not an interrogation room. The young Commander felt he owed them that... plus it wasn't like he could actually succeed in arresting her, even if he wanted to. The girl had just slaughtered an entire ship of those monsters.
The girl was strangely indifferent, as if she already knew the man's thoughts on her story... and found them boring.
"How would you like a Job?" He asked the man, Commander to Captain.
"I ain't handing over the girl," Mal glared. He really had no faith in anyone who wore an Alliance uniform... can't say he blamed him. But maybe the Commander could fix that.
"As payment for your crew, saving our lives," The commander went on, ignoring the man's jab. "I'll list that River Tam, and her brother, died in the Reaver attack... as well as falsify legal documents for them, and alter the official retina and DNA scans, in their real birth records."
Mal stared in disbelief. But it was a simple enough task for a commander in the Alliance. It would cost him little more effort then opening a report.
"And the Job?" Mal asked.
"It's like to put you on the list, of Privateer Escort Vessels, with the fill benefits package."
Mal blinked, Privateers did the Alliance grunt work for them. Specifically the "Escort Division" protected settlers from pirates, slavers, and... well, Reavers. Although that last one was unofficial, as the Alliance "Official" stance, was Reavers weren't real.
Privateers got licenses to outfit their ships, and themselves, with Military Grade Weapons. They gained access to Alliance grade medical facilities. And could bypass checkpoints... essentially, this could make him a much better smuggler... but he'd be directly working for the Alliance, just without the paperwork (as the Alliance didn't WANT to know what their privateers got up to).
Mal swallowed, hard. He'd be making Riddick's bounty with of coin, with every job... He could never imagine so much coin... but working with the Alliance...
Riddick's taunts came to mind... about how Mal refused to rejoin society, even on his own terms... the way it was laid bare, so bluntly, cruelly, caused Mal to reflect a spell.
"Put us on the roster," Mal conceded, "but I decide when, and if, we take a job."