"Those gorram Alliance thieves!"

"I agree with you entirely, sir."

"Slow down, what happened?" Wash questioned the three irate crew-people.

"Our load was stolen." Zoë informed her husband.

"They took it right out from our noses too! Four against three, I'll give 'em four against three." Jayne grumbled as he stalked up to his quarters.

"It was Alliance. Wash, I want you to lock on to any ships lifting off nearby. If one's Alliance cut, I want you following it."

"I'll get right to it." Mal glared hard at the interior of his ship, and stewed on the Alliance and their meddling affairs. He would not let this go without a fight.

"Did you get it?" Frasier asked as the four came hauling back in the ship, cargo being dragged behind.

"Got it, lets move before we run into any trouble." Jack told them. "Jonas, you help Teal'c load the stuff up. Carter, I want you on second helm. Mitchell can fly like Soran Gartlyu for all I care, but that means shit if we hit a Patrol."(1)

"Yes sir."

"We need to leave fast, kids, move it! Got a very important appointment to keep."

"There! Damn, it's one of those Project Bluebook ships. We ain't never gonna catch that." Kayle told the pilot.

"Yeah, well," Wash replied, flipping toggles and switches in preparation for launch. "Don't tell the Captain that."

"Don't tell the Captain what?" Jayne asked, loading a rifle.

"Don't tell me what?"

"These two are keeping secrets, Mal."

"We're not! It's just, we were afraid to tell you…"

"Tell me what, Kayle?"

"Uh, well, that." Wash put in, pointing at the ship lifting off on the other end of the port. Mal took in the sharp lines and curving hull, maybe twice as big as Serenity and with a lot more engine and fire power. And the metal was a shade of blue he'd seen once before.

"Gan ni niang! That's a Bluebook ship!"(2)

Jack O'Neill sighed and sat down heavily in the infirmary. Tired eyes surveyed four identical white beds, top of the line, each with their own desk and chair. Jack knew what the desks were for. After eight years watching comrades get fixed up, and being fixed up himself, Jack knew intimately. First drawer held supplies, the ones for the little stuff; bandages, stitches, disinfectant. Second drawer held clothes and other things to make a patient comfortable. On the other side a chair was bolted down for visitors.

To his left was a door that lead to the doc's office, medical files and emergency equipment. Through that was Frasier's quarters. They'd pulled another futon in there for the bunk, so Cassandra could sleep with her mother. The nightmares had gotten a lot less.

To his right was the isolation room. That was where Daniel lay, where Daniel had laid for over a year. Comatose. Janet needed a 500 bit Neural Scanner to help Daniel. And she was going to get one, no matter how many toes, or people, he had to step on to get one.

The Tollan had better damn well be willing to trade.

I'm getting there, don't worry. Hope this gets the plot going a little more, and creates lots of questions.

(1) Soran Gartlyu is just a person I made up. He's some famous pilot from the war who could pull some seriouslydangerous stuff and come out alive. An Allaince hero.

(2) Gan ni niang is a Chinese swear word meaning 'motherfucker' in English.

Tell me what you think. Thanks

TS