Chapter 22
All was silent and uneasy on the Serenity as she orbited around the planet where Mal and Jayne were on below. Tasks were attempted to be carried out but without ease. Simon continued to study his screen. Kaylee continued to cry as she tinkered with the Serenity's gravity generator. Book sat alone in the kitchen at the table with his Bible open and his hand on the cross he wore around his neck. Praying for Mal and Jaycee's safe return as he always did. Inara sat in solitude in the cargo bay with her legs hanging off the rail of the catwalk that ran width wise in the middle of the bay connecting the left walk with the right walk. Prayers, feelings, and fears all spoke at once in her mind. River laid unconscious in her cryo-crate. Unknowing of the events that were revolving around everyone. Unknown to her of the crossroads that the crew all stood at. Zoe stood in the equipment bay with the weapon's cabinet open. There she was checking over the weapons being prepared for anything. She had no intention on leaving either Mal or Jayne behind. She didn't before when Mal and Wash were kidnapped by Niska. And she sure as rutting hell wasn't going to start now. Wash sat silent on the bridge as he watched the sun break through the edge of the planet as the Serenity sailed into the dawn of a new day. His eyes never leaving the globe beneath them except for a few glances at his comm display. A soft yawn fell upon him as he stood up with his coffee cup in his hand. A fresh brew of Wash' special sounded good right about now as he past the comm terminal where the data disk was located. He walked past the terminal but stopped when he reeled around and something came to his mind. He grabbed the disk and placed it into the drive and uploaded the contents. :Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" Wash cursed as he rushed off the bridge in a full sprint where he proceed to the equipment locker where Zoe was readying their weapons. "Shit!
"Wash cursed as Zoe looked around to see her husband out of breath. "What happened?" "The disk, the disk," Wash said as he raised the disk. "They took the wrong disk." "The wrong disk as the disk we wanted them to have. Or the wrong disk as in, the wrong disk?" "What?"
Mal's world stood still, almost feeling as if it was going through slow motion. As there standing before him was the man that he had hated the most for the past almost eight years since the Independent's defeat at Serenity Valley. They're not coming. Command says it's too hot. They're pulling out. We're to lay down arms. Get me command! I can't raise them. Last transmission said that General Eisen was withdrawing. Withdrawing? The bastard's running! Ruttin' bastards leaving us! It was Eisen who signaled the retreat. The man that ordered all regiments in Serenity Valley to be left behind and lay down their arms to the Alliance. "Two months," Mal started as he paused to gather his words and control the fury that was raging within him. "Two months, hell nearly three months we fought for you. We kept the Alliance at bay. We fought and died for you. And what the hell did you do? You ran! You coward!" "Stow that, Sergeant!" Eisen's right hand man, Captain Hollis barked as he approached Mal. This event sparked Jayne to leap to Mal's side. "At ease, Captain," Eisen said as he raised his arm to act as a barrier between Hollis and Mal. "I'm not your sergeant anymore. Haven't been since you left us behind!" "It was an unfortunate event that occurred, Sergeant, Captain Reynolds. And a day has not gone bay that I had not regretted it." "Tell that to everyone you left." "I wished that I could." "Son of a bitch," Mal muttered as he stepped away and began pacing the floor in the rear of the room so he would not pose a threat. "And Captain Hollis, ever by your side, huh?" "You think we ran, Sergeant?" Hollis inquired as he and Jayne were standing arm's length from one another. Both sharing several predatorily glances at one another. "It's, Captain, Captain." "In a way we did run, Captain Reynolds. But we didn't run for reasons that you believed we did." "And what reasons are those, General? Is it still General now? I'm sure you've been on the fringe for a while now, the Indies fell after Serenity." "I am well aware of our defeat. And yes, we did run. But we ran to fight another day." "Seven years it's been. Can't say I've heard of a new Independent faction. Have you, Jayne?" "Can't say I have, Cap'n." "The first war was an all out assault. The next war, will be fought with guerilla tactics. And we are going to need everyone we can to take back our freedom." "Keep the good fight up," Mal smiled as he saluted smartly. "Now can we be leavin' now?" "How did you get that disk?" "Oh, you mean the disk the pretty lady took from my pocket. Oh, don't pay attention to it. It wasn't mine." "What are you talkin' about." "It was his," Mal pointed at Jayne. "Shut the hell up, Mal!" "We are talking about the disk with the Alliance cruiser's tactical log," Hollis announced. "Anything on after that?" Mal inquired. "What are you playing at, Reynolds?" Eisen inquired. Mal looked at Jayne and either of them nodded their heads. "Oh why not," Mal cried with his arms waving at his side until he took a seat at the table. "A man named Devons gave it to me." "Why did Devons give it to you?" Hollis inquired. "You know, that is a very good question. I'd ask him, but he's kind o, sort of dead." "You?" Hollis asked straight out. "Funny," Mal smiled. "Story goes this way, we answered a distress call from an old buddy of mine. He was running a bunch of colonists off into the range. And to put a pro longed story to an end, Devons approached me, told me e was booted out of the Alliance and he gave me the disk before the colonial boat exploded." "Exploded?" Eisen echoed. His thoughts and feelings belonging to the boat load of colonists that lost their lives to keep the disk from falling into their hands. "Big bang," Jayne remarked. "Barely made it ourselves," Mal paused as he relived the thoughts in his mind "Now, can we go now?" "The either of you can follow me," Eisen said as he nodded to Hollis. "Take their shackles off." "Is that wise, General?" "Don't question it. Just answer it. "Yes, General," Hollis said as he unshackled their wrists and they filed out of the holding room. "That was a damned fine thing you did with Niska a few years back," Eisen remarked to Mal as they walked through the corridors. "Can't say I know what your talkin' about," Mal answered as he looked over to Jayne who looked a bit nervous. Their eyes said how the hell did he know? "There isn't much that happens in this 'verse that we don't hear about. We know all about you Captain Reynolds. We know of your exploits, your privateering. Everything." "Hey, did you know about his collection too?" Mal remarked smartly as he indicated the person he was referring was Jayne. "Damn it, Mal. You the captain, but your asking for a rutting ass kicking." Mal looked at his watch. They had a little over two hours to go before Serenity broke orbit. But as the countdown continued to click away, he knew Zoe wouldn't abandoned Jayne and he. He didn't know whether to thank her for it or keel haul her. The four men, followed by two armed guards carrying high powered assault rifles all stand before a closed window with a key pad beside it. Silence echoes as Hollis reaches for the key pad and opens the window. Mal and Jayne approach the window to see what is revealed before them. "My, God," Mal breathed as the sight before him was un-imaginable. "Look's like they're plannin' another war," Jayne remarked as either men were captivated by the wide range of weapons that were stored in the room below them. Enough weapons to supply an entire army for years.
All was silent and uneasy on the Serenity as she orbited around the planet where Mal and Jayne were on below. Tasks were attempted to be carried out but without ease. Simon continued to study his screen. Kaylee continued to cry as she tinkered with the Serenity's gravity generator. Book sat alone in the kitchen at the table with his Bible open and his hand on the cross he wore around his neck. Praying for Mal and Jaycee's safe return as he always did. Inara sat in solitude in the cargo bay with her legs hanging off the rail of the catwalk that ran width wise in the middle of the bay connecting the left walk with the right walk. Prayers, feelings, and fears all spoke at once in her mind. River laid unconscious in her cryo-crate. Unknowing of the events that were revolving around everyone. Unknown to her of the crossroads that the crew all stood at. Zoe stood in the equipment bay with the weapon's cabinet open. There she was checking over the weapons being prepared for anything. She had no intention on leaving either Mal or Jayne behind. She didn't before when Mal and Wash were kidnapped by Niska. And she sure as rutting hell wasn't going to start now. Wash sat silent on the bridge as he watched the sun break through the edge of the planet as the Serenity sailed into the dawn of a new day. His eyes never leaving the globe beneath them except for a few glances at his comm display. A soft yawn fell upon him as he stood up with his coffee cup in his hand. A fresh brew of Wash' special sounded good right about now as he past the comm terminal where the data disk was located. He walked past the terminal but stopped when he reeled around and something came to his mind. He grabbed the disk and placed it into the drive and uploaded the contents. :Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" Wash cursed as he rushed off the bridge in a full sprint where he proceed to the equipment locker where Zoe was readying their weapons. "Shit!
"Wash cursed as Zoe looked around to see her husband out of breath. "What happened?" "The disk, the disk," Wash said as he raised the disk. "They took the wrong disk." "The wrong disk as the disk we wanted them to have. Or the wrong disk as in, the wrong disk?" "What?"
Mal's world stood still, almost feeling as if it was going through slow motion. As there standing before him was the man that he had hated the most for the past almost eight years since the Independent's defeat at Serenity Valley. They're not coming. Command says it's too hot. They're pulling out. We're to lay down arms. Get me command! I can't raise them. Last transmission said that General Eisen was withdrawing. Withdrawing? The bastard's running! Ruttin' bastards leaving us! It was Eisen who signaled the retreat. The man that ordered all regiments in Serenity Valley to be left behind and lay down their arms to the Alliance. "Two months," Mal started as he paused to gather his words and control the fury that was raging within him. "Two months, hell nearly three months we fought for you. We kept the Alliance at bay. We fought and died for you. And what the hell did you do? You ran! You coward!" "Stow that, Sergeant!" Eisen's right hand man, Captain Hollis barked as he approached Mal. This event sparked Jayne to leap to Mal's side. "At ease, Captain," Eisen said as he raised his arm to act as a barrier between Hollis and Mal. "I'm not your sergeant anymore. Haven't been since you left us behind!" "It was an unfortunate event that occurred, Sergeant, Captain Reynolds. And a day has not gone bay that I had not regretted it." "Tell that to everyone you left." "I wished that I could." "Son of a bitch," Mal muttered as he stepped away and began pacing the floor in the rear of the room so he would not pose a threat. "And Captain Hollis, ever by your side, huh?" "You think we ran, Sergeant?" Hollis inquired as he and Jayne were standing arm's length from one another. Both sharing several predatorily glances at one another. "It's, Captain, Captain." "In a way we did run, Captain Reynolds. But we didn't run for reasons that you believed we did." "And what reasons are those, General? Is it still General now? I'm sure you've been on the fringe for a while now, the Indies fell after Serenity." "I am well aware of our defeat. And yes, we did run. But we ran to fight another day." "Seven years it's been. Can't say I've heard of a new Independent faction. Have you, Jayne?" "Can't say I have, Cap'n." "The first war was an all out assault. The next war, will be fought with guerilla tactics. And we are going to need everyone we can to take back our freedom." "Keep the good fight up," Mal smiled as he saluted smartly. "Now can we be leavin' now?" "How did you get that disk?" "Oh, you mean the disk the pretty lady took from my pocket. Oh, don't pay attention to it. It wasn't mine." "What are you talkin' about." "It was his," Mal pointed at Jayne. "Shut the hell up, Mal!" "We are talking about the disk with the Alliance cruiser's tactical log," Hollis announced. "Anything on after that?" Mal inquired. "What are you playing at, Reynolds?" Eisen inquired. Mal looked at Jayne and either of them nodded their heads. "Oh why not," Mal cried with his arms waving at his side until he took a seat at the table. "A man named Devons gave it to me." "Why did Devons give it to you?" Hollis inquired. "You know, that is a very good question. I'd ask him, but he's kind o, sort of dead." "You?" Hollis asked straight out. "Funny," Mal smiled. "Story goes this way, we answered a distress call from an old buddy of mine. He was running a bunch of colonists off into the range. And to put a pro longed story to an end, Devons approached me, told me e was booted out of the Alliance and he gave me the disk before the colonial boat exploded." "Exploded?" Eisen echoed. His thoughts and feelings belonging to the boat load of colonists that lost their lives to keep the disk from falling into their hands. "Big bang," Jayne remarked. "Barely made it ourselves," Mal paused as he relived the thoughts in his mind "Now, can we go now?" "The either of you can follow me," Eisen said as he nodded to Hollis. "Take their shackles off." "Is that wise, General?" "Don't question it. Just answer it. "Yes, General," Hollis said as he unshackled their wrists and they filed out of the holding room. "That was a damned fine thing you did with Niska a few years back," Eisen remarked to Mal as they walked through the corridors. "Can't say I know what your talkin' about," Mal answered as he looked over to Jayne who looked a bit nervous. Their eyes said how the hell did he know? "There isn't much that happens in this 'verse that we don't hear about. We know all about you Captain Reynolds. We know of your exploits, your privateering. Everything." "Hey, did you know about his collection too?" Mal remarked smartly as he indicated the person he was referring was Jayne. "Damn it, Mal. You the captain, but your asking for a rutting ass kicking." Mal looked at his watch. They had a little over two hours to go before Serenity broke orbit. But as the countdown continued to click away, he knew Zoe wouldn't abandoned Jayne and he. He didn't know whether to thank her for it or keel haul her. The four men, followed by two armed guards carrying high powered assault rifles all stand before a closed window with a key pad beside it. Silence echoes as Hollis reaches for the key pad and opens the window. Mal and Jayne approach the window to see what is revealed before them. "My, God," Mal breathed as the sight before him was un-imaginable. "Look's like they're plannin' another war," Jayne remarked as either men were captivated by the wide range of weapons that were stored in the room below them. Enough weapons to supply an entire army for years.