1.4
Malcolm looked out the open airlock at the spinning starfield. There directly across from them was Inara's shuttle, it appeared to be no longer spinning as Wash had brought them in close and copied the shuttle's tumble. Now the vast stretch of space beyond them seemed to be spinning, like being on a merry-go-round, Mal thought.
He swallowed a wave of nausea and instead looked right across at the steady shuttle. A long tow cable stretched past to connect to the craft. Jayne stood beside him, squeezed into one of Serenity's pressure suits and helmets. The big bulky man had a large gun; it had fired the tow cable at the shuttle with deadly accuracy.
The towline ran from ship to ship, and Mal stepped close to it, ignoring the hiss of recycling air in his own suit. The faceplate of his helmet was slightly fogged, and he reminded himself to have Kaylee go over the suits when they got back. He lifted one foot off the deck of the airlock and stepped forward, hearing it clank and lock on to the plastisteel floor.
"Wonder what happened to the little whore," Jayne said not unkindly.
Malcolm spun, as quickly as he could in the pressure suit, and fixed Jayne's goateed face with a glare. He hated the use of that word, no matter what Inara did as a profession. Jayne caught the steely glint of Reynold's eyes and appeared properly chastised. Mal reminded himself to keep an eye on him, especially after the incident at the core world Alliance hospital.
Jayne's shoulders rose up and down in an exaggerated shrug, "I meant the shuttle." A sheepish grin lined his broad face.
"Let's just get her safely stowed," Mal said as he clapped a handgrip and lifeline to the tow cable.
"Aye sir," Jayne's voice muttered over the helmet's intercom.
Mal thought he heard the sharp intakes of breath in his helmet as those on the bridge watched him push off from the open airlock. The handgrip he held onto had a small gas canister attached to it, when Mal pressed the trigger on the grip, a burst of gas propelled him forward, out into the vast empty space between Serenity and the shuttle.
In every direction blackness fell away from him, stretching away to infinity. The burst from the handgrip pushed him along the tow cable and he focused his attention on the shuttle as it slowly drew closer.
He heard Jayne muttering quietly behind him on the towline, he wasn't sure exactly what he was saying but he did make out the words mud-planet. "You alright back there?" Mal asked, his eyes never leaving the approaching mass of the shuttle as he zipped along the towline.
"I don't reckon I care for this contraption," Jayne growled.
"Kaylee said they'll be fine," Mal replied.
The intercom hissed and Kaylee came on babbling techno-speak and design specifications to explain the handgrips. "We get it. We get it, Kaylee," Mal said trying to interrupt. "Can you keep the channel clear?"
The silence from the other end conjured the image of Kaylee standing on the bridge with a pout twisting its way across her face. Mal chuckled lightly as he slid up against the surface of the shuttle.
He unclasped the handgrip and lifeline, hiking it to the outer airlock door of the shuttle, moving out of the way for Jayne. He turned his body, so he could Jayne's approach. For a moment he thought he saw a release of gas from the handgrip, and watched as Jayne speeded up a touch. A grin stretched across his face as he saw the momentary panic hit Jayne's face as Mal watched him realize he had overestimated the burst. A moment later, Mal felt, rather than heard, the impact of Jayne's body hitting the surface of the shuttle.
A dull groan came over the intercom, and he thought he could faintly hear Wash, Kaylee and Zoe making snide comments on the bridge. Jayne swore painfully in Mandarin as Mal turned and punched in the manual override code for the shuttle's outer airlock.
Moments later they were inside.
"I hate when we have to do that," Jayne grumbled.
Malcolm looked out the open airlock at the spinning starfield. There directly across from them was Inara's shuttle, it appeared to be no longer spinning as Wash had brought them in close and copied the shuttle's tumble. Now the vast stretch of space beyond them seemed to be spinning, like being on a merry-go-round, Mal thought.
He swallowed a wave of nausea and instead looked right across at the steady shuttle. A long tow cable stretched past to connect to the craft. Jayne stood beside him, squeezed into one of Serenity's pressure suits and helmets. The big bulky man had a large gun; it had fired the tow cable at the shuttle with deadly accuracy.
The towline ran from ship to ship, and Mal stepped close to it, ignoring the hiss of recycling air in his own suit. The faceplate of his helmet was slightly fogged, and he reminded himself to have Kaylee go over the suits when they got back. He lifted one foot off the deck of the airlock and stepped forward, hearing it clank and lock on to the plastisteel floor.
"Wonder what happened to the little whore," Jayne said not unkindly.
Malcolm spun, as quickly as he could in the pressure suit, and fixed Jayne's goateed face with a glare. He hated the use of that word, no matter what Inara did as a profession. Jayne caught the steely glint of Reynold's eyes and appeared properly chastised. Mal reminded himself to keep an eye on him, especially after the incident at the core world Alliance hospital.
Jayne's shoulders rose up and down in an exaggerated shrug, "I meant the shuttle." A sheepish grin lined his broad face.
"Let's just get her safely stowed," Mal said as he clapped a handgrip and lifeline to the tow cable.
"Aye sir," Jayne's voice muttered over the helmet's intercom.
Mal thought he heard the sharp intakes of breath in his helmet as those on the bridge watched him push off from the open airlock. The handgrip he held onto had a small gas canister attached to it, when Mal pressed the trigger on the grip, a burst of gas propelled him forward, out into the vast empty space between Serenity and the shuttle.
In every direction blackness fell away from him, stretching away to infinity. The burst from the handgrip pushed him along the tow cable and he focused his attention on the shuttle as it slowly drew closer.
He heard Jayne muttering quietly behind him on the towline, he wasn't sure exactly what he was saying but he did make out the words mud-planet. "You alright back there?" Mal asked, his eyes never leaving the approaching mass of the shuttle as he zipped along the towline.
"I don't reckon I care for this contraption," Jayne growled.
"Kaylee said they'll be fine," Mal replied.
The intercom hissed and Kaylee came on babbling techno-speak and design specifications to explain the handgrips. "We get it. We get it, Kaylee," Mal said trying to interrupt. "Can you keep the channel clear?"
The silence from the other end conjured the image of Kaylee standing on the bridge with a pout twisting its way across her face. Mal chuckled lightly as he slid up against the surface of the shuttle.
He unclasped the handgrip and lifeline, hiking it to the outer airlock door of the shuttle, moving out of the way for Jayne. He turned his body, so he could Jayne's approach. For a moment he thought he saw a release of gas from the handgrip, and watched as Jayne speeded up a touch. A grin stretched across his face as he saw the momentary panic hit Jayne's face as Mal watched him realize he had overestimated the burst. A moment later, Mal felt, rather than heard, the impact of Jayne's body hitting the surface of the shuttle.
A dull groan came over the intercom, and he thought he could faintly hear Wash, Kaylee and Zoe making snide comments on the bridge. Jayne swore painfully in Mandarin as Mal turned and punched in the manual override code for the shuttle's outer airlock.
Moments later they were inside.
"I hate when we have to do that," Jayne grumbled.