Haven

"They know what you did to their predecessors, Shepherd?" Mal and Toam were standing on the same overlook where, so long ago it seemed now, Book had discussed belief with Mal.

"No, fortunately. I don't think they'd accept me as their preacher if they knew I'd ordered those deaths, no matter how repentant I am now."

"Well, there is that. Least now, they have some decent buildin' materials."

"Yes, it is amazing how the settlers turned tragedy into blessing." Toam gestured down to the settlement, where the citizens were busy cutting into the wreckage of the downed Alliance ship with arc welders. "It's quite ingenious of them, really, to take the cannons off first, mount them on ground struts, and point them at the sky. I guess they don't want a repeat performance, no matter what the Alliance tells them."

"Or, they could just want some fireworks for U-Day." They both shared a laugh. "Seriously, though, they got more to worry 'bout than the Alliance. The Reavers ain't all rounded up, and Haven's right on their border."

"I think we'll be alright. The Alliance seems to be feeling some guilt concerning Haven. Right now, there is a cruiser directly overhead."

"Yeah, Wash noticed that as we were comin' in. We were wonderin' 'bout that."

"Just a precautionary measure, while the Alliance task force continues their 'systematic suppression of undue aggression.'"

"'Undue aggression?' Is that what they're callin' it?" The preacher nodded. "Why not 'we messed up, and we're just tryin' to cover our asses so there isn't another war?'"

"Well, I'm sure they would, but the way they put it takes less time to say."

Mal laughed. "I suppose that makes sense."

There was an uncomfortably long pause before Mal spoke up again.

"You know, I've been thinkin', when we signed you up to our ship, you told me you'd give us details on Book's past. Since you got on the ship, it seems we've just never spoken on that particular subject."

"Yes, I do believe you are correct in this matter—" Toam was cut off by a loud klaxon from the camp. "That's a sound I hoped never to hear."

"What is it?" Mal was tense, ready to run.

"Air raid. We already know it's not the Alliance. That leaves two possibilities: pirates, or…" Mal was already running toward the colony. "…Reavers."

-----

"Wash, what's the status?" Mal was on his com, mid-stride.

"Lots of ships, runnin' without containment, headin' straight for the cruiser."

"Look like they could take it?"

"As I said, Mal, lots of ships. They could take the cruiser easily."

"How long?"

"That depends… Yeah, it looks like they're concentrating on the cruiser. I'd give us an hour, maybe if we're lucky an hour, fifteen."

"Damn it! Okay, get the ship prepped for takeoff, then go outside and keep the settlers from panicking. Tell them to get in the ships that brought 'em, but keep one ship and a bunch of able-lookin' gents to help us mount those cannons to Serenity. I want it spaceworthy in thirty minutes."

"You got it."

"Shepherd, help Wash get a head start gettin' everyone assembled." Toam nodded and ran off. "Kaylee, you there?" Mal shouted into his com.

"Here, Cap'n."

"Honeymoon's over. Get your husband in the infirmary and get the engine room ready for full burn as soon as we lift off. We need to give these bastards a distraction."

-----

"Great job, fellas. Now, get to that ship and launch as soon as everyone's aboard."

"Aye, Cap'n!" The settlers had managed to get the four cannons mounted to Serenity in record time. They even fixed one upside down to the underside of the ship, just forward of the cargo hold doors. The other three were just aft of the cockpit, one facing front, the others forty-five degrees to either side.

"Shepherd, you go with them."

"As I see it, Captain, there are four cannons, but only three people who can be spared to fire them."

"What are you saying?"

"Care to take on another crew member?"

"Yeah, whatever. Jayne, Zoe, Preacher, get suited. Wash, get on the Cortex, WAVE the settlers' ships, and tell them to get to the other side of the planet, flyin' low, before makin' a break for it. Kaylee, the engine room ready?"

"Yes, Cap'n."

"Good. Get us set for hard burn."

"Mal, the other ships say aye."

"Thanks, Wash. Give them five minutes, then launch us straight into the fray. Time for a leaf on the wind."

-----

"Jayne, you take top-front; Shepherd, bottom; Zoe, left; I'm takin' right. Let's get there." They were fully suited, ready for the black. "Remember, com silence 'til I say 'fire.' Aim only for ships that ain't comin' for us at first. Try to get 'em riled up. They're bound to follow."

"You got it, Cap'n. Let's hunt some Reavers." Jayne was, of course, overjoyed at the prospect of using any gun bigger than Vera, especially when that gun was the size of the main gun on the ship. "Y'know, isn't it weird that every time we come to this 'peace planet' we end up strappin' guns to our ship?"

"Why is it that every time I give a direct order, I get a fuss?"

"Just wonderin'. No need to get on my case."

"Stop wonderin' and get where you gotta be." Mal, Jayne, and Zoe climbed the ladder to the upper airlock.

-----

It would have been a very serene picture: a sleek, curvaceous ship floating delicately through the mottled black of space, with a blue-green planet in the background. A serene picture, that is, if it weren't for the abominations known as Reaver ships flying pell-mell, with no regard for personal safety, in an insect-like swarm; or the sickly-looking, green-glowing Alliance cruiser, venting flames into the black of space, the orange contrasting nauseatingly with the green; or the fact that the 'sleek, curvaceous ship' was armed to the teeth, and flying directly toward the center of the swarm of activity.

As Serenity flew toward the battle, the cruiser suddenly shot all of its escape pods in all directions, then, scant moments later, broke in four pieces, each of the towers moving in different directions, then exploded, taking several Reaver ships, and several unlucky escape pods, with it. It was directly toward the hole created by the explosion that Wash piloted the smuggler ship.

Mal watched the explosion with mild apprehension, counting down the kilometers until they'd be close enough to open fire.

"Fire!" Mal roared into his mic as he watched four streams of light and superheated metal shoot out from the hull of the ship, launching themselves at the rapidly approaching vessels.

"Wash, find us a window and punch through it!"

"Love to, Cap'n, but I'm a little busy right now."

"Veer left-now!"

"River! What're you doin' on the bridge?"

"Stow it, Mal, she just saved all our asses," Wash said as a barrage from Mal's cannon obliterated a Reaver ship that had just appeared out of nowhere, right where they would have been without River's advice.

River's face was screwed up in concentration, seemingly oblivious to the battle around her, despite the fact that she was actually more in tune with it than anyone in the battle itself.

"Give me the helm, now!" River's jaw was set. Wash took one look at her, then transferred control to the copilot's console.

What followed would always stick in Wash's mind as the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. River flew them through the fray, unscathed, offering the easiest targets imaginable for the gunners, with her eyes closed. It was almost as if she knew where the Reavers would be before they were there.

"Captain, get everyone strapped down! Kaylee, hard burn on my mark." River had somehow taken command.

"They're turning about… all of them." Wash, having given up on piloting for now, was staring at the sensors. "They're following. The settlers are in the clear."

"Not just yet. How long 'til they're close enough to open fire?"

"I'd give us about five minutes, Cap'n."

"Great. Kaylee, hard burn in four and thirty."

"With you guys outside? Cap'n, that's all manner of risky."

"We're strapped down just fine. Just you get that engine room singin'. Shepherd, where's the nearest very large Alliance patrol?"

"Are you thinking of doing to them what you did to my fleet?"

"Yeah, but with advance warning."

"Very well. The last time I knew, there was a fleet surveying the asteroid belt near Miranda."

"Wash, set a course for Miranda. As straight a shot as you can get it. River, good flying. Don't ever do that again, unless I tell you. Wash, how close are they?"

"About a minute away."

"Kaylee, engines ready?"

"Yeah, cap'n."

"Good. Make it fast, but not so fast they can't follow."

-----

It would have been a very serene picture: a sleek, curvaceous ship floating delicately through the mottled black of space, flying toward a tiny blue-green planet in the distance. A serene picture, that is, if it weren't for the large horde of ungainly-looking abominations called ships that were close on its trail.

As the small ship in the lead passed the outermost edges of the asteroid field near the planet, it sent out a brief WAVE, in all directions but backward. In response, several considerably larger ships, until then unnoticed amid the asteroids, let out a barrage of fire so thick, it was as if a dam burst in the cosmos, letting a torrential flood of light and superheated metal loose to wreak havoc among the pursuing vessels.

When the barrage was over, there were a considerable amount of new asteroids in the belt, and Serenity was docking with a cruiser.

-----

"Captain, Shepherd, please be seated. I'd like to begin this meeting by asking how it came to be that your ship was being followed by the second-largest Reaver raiding party sighted to date."

"Well, Admiral, that's a mighty difficult question to answer. If you mean 'why were they on our tail,' I'd tell you we were drawing them off from a settlement on a nearby planet. If you mean 'why were they there in the first place,' I have no idea."

"Shepherd?"

"I was there merely to help them. I was one of the leaders of the new colony, and was one of the last to leave. The only transport off of Haven was Serenity."

"Wait; Haven?"

"Yes, Admiral."

"Didn't you yourself issue the order to destroy that colony?"

"I was a different man then."

The admiral glanced at the Shepherd's collar, then nodded.

"So, neither of you knows why the Reavers were there in the first place. Is there anyone who might?"

"There might be."

Mal looked over at Toam, puzzled.

"Who?" both Mal and the admiral asked in unison.

-----

"River? What are you doing?"

"Dancing." Indeed, the reader had her ballet slippers on, and was dancing in the cargo hold.

"There's no music."

"There doesn't have to be, Simon," River said, breathlessly.

"Normally when people dance, they do it to music."

"I'm not very normal. For all you know, I could be hearing music."

"Are you?"

"No, but I could be."

"River, could you come with me?" Mal asked from the open hatch.

"No 'hi, River, are you doing anything? 'Cause we could use your skills right now, to help us deal with a perplexed admiral?'" River imitated the Captain's voice perfectly.

"Um, right… How… The admiral…"

"Reader, remember?"

"Okay, well what you said, then."

"No, I'm not busy. I'll be there as soon as I change my shoes." River skipped out of the room.

"I thought I was the awkward one."

"Hey, she's a reader! How can anyone argue 'gainst a reader? Don't you have doctory things to be doin' right now?"

"Well, seeing as how, miraculously, no one got injured in that last debacle, no I don't."

"Oh, right… what about marriagey things, then?"

"Kaylee's sleeping. Keeping the engine together while trying to outrun Reavers at full burn takes a lot out of you, especially when no one's helping."

"You could've helped."

"You told me to stay in the infirmary."

"Okay, okay, hindsight's 20-20."

River skipped into the cargo hold at that moment, wearing her combat boots.

"Ready!"

"Right, well since you can read my thoughts, you probably know the way."

"Mind if I tag along?"

"Why not? You are her brother, after all. Let's make a party of it."

-----

"What can you tell me about the Reavers, girl?"

"Nothing, if you continue to treat me with such contempt."

"Do you know how much of a bounty was on your head, just a short while ago?"

"Do you always ask rhetorical questions? You know perfectly well that I do, yet you treat me like a child. I also know that when the warrant went out for my arrest, you were coreward. By the time I was 'liberated' from that particular fate, you were stuck out here on the rim. Tell me, how did you fail?"

The admiral looked at Simon. "Does she always speak so disrespectfully?"

"River gives respect when it's due."

"And when does she see that it's due, if not for an admiral of the Alliance Navy?"

"I respect those who respect me."

"And why should I respect a teenage girl, who has shown me nothing but contempt?"

"My attitude is a mirror of your own."

Once again, the admiral looked at Simon, this time beseechingly. "Is she always this difficult?"

"You have no idea. You, however, deserve it."

"Well, if you won't help me, how am I supposed to justify helping you?"

"It's your job."

"Quid pro quo, Doctor Tam."

"As I understand that phrase, it is usually given before entering negotiations. You destroyed the ships that were pursuing us. For that, we are grateful. You helped save a colony of settlers. For that, they are grateful. These things you did, not out of the goodness of your heart, but because you selfishly wanted the credit for all of these things, when really all you needed to do was have your guns pointed in the right direction. You didn't even have to move your ships, as you were surveying this patch of the asteroid field. The way I see it, you owe us a favor for giving you easy kills."

The admiral sat in his seat, mouth agape, for a few seconds before rising from his chair, face scarlet with anger. "You- upstart! How dare you—"

"I dare," River interrupted, "because I speak the truth. You know, from my profile, that I am a reader. You also know what that entails. I can see into your mind, see your intentions, see your words before they are formed by your mouth. You want me to use this ability to your advantage, by offering an insight into the minds of the second-worst scourge of the 'verse. You want this because you want to be back near the core planets, not out here sitting on some dead rocks. You want this because you are a glory hog. You are greedy, and I am calling you out. As you said before, quid pro quo. What do you have to offer for my information?"

-----

Three hours later, ship refueled, guns removed, and pockets heavy with platinum, Serenity was once more in the black.

"Sure you don't want to join them, Shepherd?"

"I think I've finally made my peace with Haven, Captain."

"Well, looks like we've got another preacher on board."

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"Well, that depends… can you pull your own weight around here?"

"I'd be more than happy to do my share of the chores—"

"I wasn't referrin' to chores."

"Then what?"

"You remember River's hagglin' abilities?" Mal was playing with his cross again. "Well, she bargained for a little remodelin' job, on top of all that other stuff she got us." Mal started walking through the ship, gesturing that Toam should follow.

"Remodeling?" Toam was having a hard time keeping up with the long-legged captain.

"Yeah. Seein' as how no one was really usin' shuttle 2, I decided it needed a little facelift."

Mal opened the door to shuttle 2, the preacher close behind. When Toam's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he gasped. Inside, the main room of the shuttle was furnished with various candelabras, tapestries, and small statues. It had a small aisle down the center of a double row of pews. In front of these stood a small kneeling rail. There was another small aisle between the kneeling rail and a small altar. In the corner, the shadowy forms of two large wooden boxes could be made out, sharing one wall between them. Over all hung a large, elaborately carved cross.

"You said, not too long ago, that religion has been in short supply these last five years. Now, maybe you can help restock our shelves. I'll leave schedulin' weekly services up to you. I've already contacted Southdown about this, and they say maybe Ship's Chaplain is a position that should be resurrected out here on the rim. Lead by example, and all that. The ironic part is that now that you do have the authority to marry, no one's engaged."

"Captain, I have no idea what to say about this…"

"Well, then, let's start with something simple. Bless me, Shepherd, for I have sinned…"

FIN