Chapter 18
Kaylee had been pacing the deck in engineering for the past full hour as it had been four hours since Mal ordered a full burn and their new destination leading them towards Phera 3. A decision had been debating within her mind for the past seven hours since Serenity returned to the Rising Star. Seven hours it had been since her encounter with Mitch. And seven hours the guilt had been rotting her away. Everyone knew that there was something wrong with Kaylee. She wasn't her cheerful self everyone could see. The only one that did not fully see it was Simon. Her lover who had been shutting himself away in the infirmary going over the data of whatever he was studying. He had been locking her out. Was there anyway he knew? No, he doesn't know. Not until you tell him. He shouldn't know now. He has enough to worry about. That's jut an excuse. He has the right to know. If he was your lover and you loved him like you say you do. It will hurt him. And won't it hurt him the longer you keep this from him? That was the way her thoughts had been for the past hour. Engineering was the place where she could find peace and tranquility. But not this time. Kaylee approached the corridor, but was being held in the passageway. Half her body leaning out in the corridor as the rest was in engineering. "Forgive me," she said as she stepped away from engineering and proceeded to the infirmary.
"You got a minute?" Kaylee asked as she entered the infirmary to see Simon gazing at his instrument panel. From what it looked like it was the same display he was studying two hours ago. "Not really a good time, Kaylee," Simon said as he tore his gaze away from his display to Kaylee. "Make the time, Simon," Kaylee said sounding more stern than she should have. "I'm sorry, Simon." "What's the matter? You've been a little tense sense you got back onboard?" Simon asked as he moved to the counter where he grabbed his glass of water and took a drink. Looking at the most beautiful woman that walked the 'verse. Yet his thoughts were also shared by River who was in her cryo-box. With her vitals reduced to stasis levels, may be the pain was away. This only what Simon could hope and pray for. "Simon, something happened on the Rising Star?" "Yeah, there's a lot of things happening in this 'verse." "Something happened with me, Simon," Kaylee said sounding direct and desperate. Her eyes showing Simon that something was troubling her. "What happened?" "There was someone on the boat, that I knew from back home." Simon was standing silent and still his mind calculating why she was telling him this. "I'm sorry," Simon said. "I can assure you no one felt any pain. They were all dead before the explosion." "It's not that, Simon. It's, ah, well, something else," her eyes directly in contact with Simon's. The boat could shake underneath them and their gaze still would be locked. "He was more than a friend before he left, Simon." "Why are you telling me this, Kaylee? What's wr--" Kaylee looked up from the deck that she had been staring at the past twelve seconds. When her eyes returned to look at Simon, she could see he was suspecting something. Fearing something. "I'm sorry, Simon," "What happened?" Simon asked as he made his was to his work station and sat on the stool. His head being braced by his left hand as his world was shifting from underneath him. "He kissed me, Simon. I kissed him." "What else?" Simon asked as his head snapped to Kaylee's direction. "That was it, Simon. He didn't want me to stop, but I did. I knew this would hurt you, Simon. I'm sorry it happened. I wished I never ran into him again." "But you did," Simon responded directly and coldly. He turned his back on Kaylee and continued his studies. "Things happen, Kaylee. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other more pressing matters that need my attention." Kaylee stood still as she was being dismissed. She could see the pain she caused him. But Simon was keeping it bottled inside. Burying his situation with River with them. "I'm sorry, Simon," Kaylee said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "It's okay," Simon answered. His gaze not leaving his display. Kaylee's feet were planted firm on the deck. Keeping her from moving. She wondered if she did good or only made matters worse. She turned around and could barely contain her crying until she exited the infirmary. Simon still buried in his display.
Chapter 19
The Serenity sat in orbit around Phera 3 as she passed the terminator into day. The twin suns shining bright on the FireFly as her nacelles grew cold and she drifted in the safety of the moon's gravitational well. Phera 3 was classified as a planet with an oxygen atmosphere. One of the hand full of planets man colonized without terra-forming the planet. But to the rest of the universe, they considered it a moon. A smuggler's moon. It was the junction where all the universe's low life, murderers, and thieves gathered. Off course the Serenity didn't entirely fit into that category, Mal thought as he sat behind the controls of shuttle 1 and departed from the Serenity. Her stabilizer wings spread open and her engines pushing her into the atmosphere. The disk with the footage of the Alliance cruiser taking out that transport had on it a text file. And in the text file was the contact information that Mal would need to get the disk into the right hands. And if Mal wasn't careful, the information could easily get into the wrong hands as it could the right. The clouds cleared from the cockpit canopy and he could see the congested space port as he saw the beacon lights on the guidance towers and the sky full of incoming and outgoing traffic. Mal reached for his comm and activated the device. "You in position?" Mal asked as he surrendered control of the shuttle to the flight guidance system. "Positioned, and waitin'," Jayne said as he voice was followed by the sounds of indistinct chatter and loud music. "Be there in twenty," Mal announced as he placed his comm in his brown duster pocket and pulled Precious from his holster checking her chamber. "Never goes easy," Mal muttered. "Never goes easy," he repeated as the shuttle touched down and he began to shut the systems down and lock it up. Inara would never forgive him if something happened to her shuttle and belongings. A half year ago Inara purchased the shuttle from him. Which brought forth a fear, she could leave whenever she wanted. A fear he tried not to think much about. Just take it a minute at a time.
The text files acclaimed the contact and the place of rendezvous. "The Nova Tavern," Mal said as he read the file on the bridge with Zoe and Wash at their stations. "Oh, sounds like fun," Wash remarked as at this time Phera 3 was slowly growing larger in their canopy view as they slowly grew closer and closer to the Gathering. Phera "Gathering" 3. The gathering place of everyone on the fringe of colonized space. "Can't say I've been there before," Mal remarked as he scrolled down the data on his terminal until he found his contact. "Looking for a fella' named, Andre'." "Andre?" Wash smirked. "I'll get my gear together," Zoe announced as she began to move from her seat. "Belay that," Mal said with a raised hand. "I'm takin' Jayne out on this one." "Sir, you'll need everyone covering your back in a place like Nova's Tavern." "Jayne'll do, Zoe. I need you on Serenity." Mal said as he stood up and headed towards the central corridor. But he stopped in the passageway, saying something he never wanted to say before. "If either me or Jayne are not back in three hours, you'll say off." "Not gonna' happen, Captain." "It is gonna' happen, Zoe." Mal returned. His friendly manner being replaced by his command manner. A manner no one would ever want to cross. "If we're not back in three hours, then we'll dead. The papers to Serenity are in my cabin. I've already turned her over to you in case something happened to me." "Sir?" "Don't," Mal shook his head. "Don't get the idea of taking my cabin over yet. Because I'm coming back." "Jayne too?" Wash asked. "Yeah, Jayne too."
Mal glanced at his wrist as he exited the shuttle. The cold freezing air attacking him once he stepped onto the tarmac. "Hell is cold," Mal muttered as he dropped his arm to his side. "Two an a half hours to go," he said as he headed towards the South Side of the space port. The data disk safely in his pocket. Precious ever by his side.
Kaylee had been pacing the deck in engineering for the past full hour as it had been four hours since Mal ordered a full burn and their new destination leading them towards Phera 3. A decision had been debating within her mind for the past seven hours since Serenity returned to the Rising Star. Seven hours it had been since her encounter with Mitch. And seven hours the guilt had been rotting her away. Everyone knew that there was something wrong with Kaylee. She wasn't her cheerful self everyone could see. The only one that did not fully see it was Simon. Her lover who had been shutting himself away in the infirmary going over the data of whatever he was studying. He had been locking her out. Was there anyway he knew? No, he doesn't know. Not until you tell him. He shouldn't know now. He has enough to worry about. That's jut an excuse. He has the right to know. If he was your lover and you loved him like you say you do. It will hurt him. And won't it hurt him the longer you keep this from him? That was the way her thoughts had been for the past hour. Engineering was the place where she could find peace and tranquility. But not this time. Kaylee approached the corridor, but was being held in the passageway. Half her body leaning out in the corridor as the rest was in engineering. "Forgive me," she said as she stepped away from engineering and proceeded to the infirmary.
"You got a minute?" Kaylee asked as she entered the infirmary to see Simon gazing at his instrument panel. From what it looked like it was the same display he was studying two hours ago. "Not really a good time, Kaylee," Simon said as he tore his gaze away from his display to Kaylee. "Make the time, Simon," Kaylee said sounding more stern than she should have. "I'm sorry, Simon." "What's the matter? You've been a little tense sense you got back onboard?" Simon asked as he moved to the counter where he grabbed his glass of water and took a drink. Looking at the most beautiful woman that walked the 'verse. Yet his thoughts were also shared by River who was in her cryo-box. With her vitals reduced to stasis levels, may be the pain was away. This only what Simon could hope and pray for. "Simon, something happened on the Rising Star?" "Yeah, there's a lot of things happening in this 'verse." "Something happened with me, Simon," Kaylee said sounding direct and desperate. Her eyes showing Simon that something was troubling her. "What happened?" "There was someone on the boat, that I knew from back home." Simon was standing silent and still his mind calculating why she was telling him this. "I'm sorry," Simon said. "I can assure you no one felt any pain. They were all dead before the explosion." "It's not that, Simon. It's, ah, well, something else," her eyes directly in contact with Simon's. The boat could shake underneath them and their gaze still would be locked. "He was more than a friend before he left, Simon." "Why are you telling me this, Kaylee? What's wr--" Kaylee looked up from the deck that she had been staring at the past twelve seconds. When her eyes returned to look at Simon, she could see he was suspecting something. Fearing something. "I'm sorry, Simon," "What happened?" Simon asked as he made his was to his work station and sat on the stool. His head being braced by his left hand as his world was shifting from underneath him. "He kissed me, Simon. I kissed him." "What else?" Simon asked as his head snapped to Kaylee's direction. "That was it, Simon. He didn't want me to stop, but I did. I knew this would hurt you, Simon. I'm sorry it happened. I wished I never ran into him again." "But you did," Simon responded directly and coldly. He turned his back on Kaylee and continued his studies. "Things happen, Kaylee. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other more pressing matters that need my attention." Kaylee stood still as she was being dismissed. She could see the pain she caused him. But Simon was keeping it bottled inside. Burying his situation with River with them. "I'm sorry, Simon," Kaylee said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "It's okay," Simon answered. His gaze not leaving his display. Kaylee's feet were planted firm on the deck. Keeping her from moving. She wondered if she did good or only made matters worse. She turned around and could barely contain her crying until she exited the infirmary. Simon still buried in his display.
Chapter 19
The Serenity sat in orbit around Phera 3 as she passed the terminator into day. The twin suns shining bright on the FireFly as her nacelles grew cold and she drifted in the safety of the moon's gravitational well. Phera 3 was classified as a planet with an oxygen atmosphere. One of the hand full of planets man colonized without terra-forming the planet. But to the rest of the universe, they considered it a moon. A smuggler's moon. It was the junction where all the universe's low life, murderers, and thieves gathered. Off course the Serenity didn't entirely fit into that category, Mal thought as he sat behind the controls of shuttle 1 and departed from the Serenity. Her stabilizer wings spread open and her engines pushing her into the atmosphere. The disk with the footage of the Alliance cruiser taking out that transport had on it a text file. And in the text file was the contact information that Mal would need to get the disk into the right hands. And if Mal wasn't careful, the information could easily get into the wrong hands as it could the right. The clouds cleared from the cockpit canopy and he could see the congested space port as he saw the beacon lights on the guidance towers and the sky full of incoming and outgoing traffic. Mal reached for his comm and activated the device. "You in position?" Mal asked as he surrendered control of the shuttle to the flight guidance system. "Positioned, and waitin'," Jayne said as he voice was followed by the sounds of indistinct chatter and loud music. "Be there in twenty," Mal announced as he placed his comm in his brown duster pocket and pulled Precious from his holster checking her chamber. "Never goes easy," Mal muttered. "Never goes easy," he repeated as the shuttle touched down and he began to shut the systems down and lock it up. Inara would never forgive him if something happened to her shuttle and belongings. A half year ago Inara purchased the shuttle from him. Which brought forth a fear, she could leave whenever she wanted. A fear he tried not to think much about. Just take it a minute at a time.
The text files acclaimed the contact and the place of rendezvous. "The Nova Tavern," Mal said as he read the file on the bridge with Zoe and Wash at their stations. "Oh, sounds like fun," Wash remarked as at this time Phera 3 was slowly growing larger in their canopy view as they slowly grew closer and closer to the Gathering. Phera "Gathering" 3. The gathering place of everyone on the fringe of colonized space. "Can't say I've been there before," Mal remarked as he scrolled down the data on his terminal until he found his contact. "Looking for a fella' named, Andre'." "Andre?" Wash smirked. "I'll get my gear together," Zoe announced as she began to move from her seat. "Belay that," Mal said with a raised hand. "I'm takin' Jayne out on this one." "Sir, you'll need everyone covering your back in a place like Nova's Tavern." "Jayne'll do, Zoe. I need you on Serenity." Mal said as he stood up and headed towards the central corridor. But he stopped in the passageway, saying something he never wanted to say before. "If either me or Jayne are not back in three hours, you'll say off." "Not gonna' happen, Captain." "It is gonna' happen, Zoe." Mal returned. His friendly manner being replaced by his command manner. A manner no one would ever want to cross. "If we're not back in three hours, then we'll dead. The papers to Serenity are in my cabin. I've already turned her over to you in case something happened to me." "Sir?" "Don't," Mal shook his head. "Don't get the idea of taking my cabin over yet. Because I'm coming back." "Jayne too?" Wash asked. "Yeah, Jayne too."
Mal glanced at his wrist as he exited the shuttle. The cold freezing air attacking him once he stepped onto the tarmac. "Hell is cold," Mal muttered as he dropped his arm to his side. "Two an a half hours to go," he said as he headed towards the South Side of the space port. The data disk safely in his pocket. Precious ever by his side.