NirSighted Chapter Eleven: Changes in Plans

Nir awoke a few hours later with the sensation of not knowing where she was. Then it came back to her – Serenity. The bunk was empty; River must have left some time before. Nir got up and put on her pack and shoes, then headed for the galley.

Kaylee was dishing up bowls of oatmeal. Mal was at the head of the table with a large scroll unrolled in front of him. Every now and then, he made a mark on it with a silver marker. A bowl of oatmeal sat untouched in front of him, a spoon set in it.

Dr. Burk was on Mal's right. Like Mal, he had a bowl of oatmeal in front of him. A spoon was in his right hand, full of oatmeal, raised halfway to his mouth. In his right hand, obviously preventing him from eating, was a heavy scientific text. His mouth was open, as though to receive the food, but his eyes were obviously perplexed, fixed on the book.

Zoë and Wash were seated on Mal's left. Both were eating their oatmeal, and conversing with Simon and Inara, who sat across from them.

Catie and River were at the far end of the table. The blind Reader had her eyes closed and was tilting her head left-to-right, eyelids flickering as though she was receiving a message. Catie was eating out of the one bowl set in front of them, her spoon resting in her left, unhurt hand. Her right hand, which had come in contact with the biological agent, was heavily bandaged in crisp white gauze.

Nir took a seat next to Catie. "Good morning," she said.

"Mornin', Nir," Mal said from the opposite end of the table, looking up from the scroll. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you for asking," Nir replied. "Where is Sergeant Flavez?"

"She and Jayne were on the bridge last I knew, wavin' her parents," Wash replied after swallowing. "They should be here momentarily."

"Ya need Jimena fer somethin', Nir?" Mal asked.

"I am only inquiring as to her position," Nir answered as Kaylee passed her a bowl of oatmeal. "Thank you, Miss Frye."

"We should be arrivin' on Irving-Keene tomorrow at the latest," Mal informed Nir.

"That sounds fine," Nir said in response. "What about the stop you'll need to make at Battleboury?"

Mal looked at the girl with surprise. "What stop at Battleboury? We ain't s'posed t' stop there at all."

Nir nodded grimly. "Well, you're going to need to."

"Engine troubles?" Kaylee asked, sitting down next to Simon with her own bowl of breakfast.

"No, it is no trouble with your ship; she will fly us there mighty fine," Nir responded. "This will be a stop of merely medical concerns."

"Medical? We goin' in ta' some trouble?" Mal questioned. "Doc, anybody hurt or sick?"

"Everyone is fine," Simon replied, glancing at Nir. "Catie's hands are well on their way to being healed, thanks to Nir's advice. And the two things we can't help – River's blindness and Jimena's pregnancy – are fine as well. The baby's heartbeat sounds strong."

"Going to be light soon," River observed from her end of the table.

"See? Nobody's hurt, Nir," Mal said.

"I did not suppose that anyone was hurt," Nir informed them. "This stop will be of two points of interest to you – it is a medical stop, of interest to Dr. Tam, and a rescue mission, of interest to all of you."

"Rescue? Who're we rescuin'?" Mal demanded, the scroll in front of him forgotten.

Nir gave them a warm smile. "Your friends from Stoïque will be delighted to see you, I am sure of it."

"Them again?" Zoë asked. "Thought we helped them for good at Snozlund. Didn't think we'd ever see them again."

"Well, you were incorrect," Nir replied. "Like you, they are on their way to Irving-Keene, but unlike you, they are not going to make it without some serious assistance. I would advise you not to pass up on this opportunity to give them aid."

"And what if we do?" Mal asked. "What if we blow straight by Battleboury at full blast?"

Nir shrugged and removed her tablet from her pack. Setting it flat on the table, she pressed her palm into it, then slid it down the table to Mal, Inara, and Zoë. They leaned in to see what was on the tablet's shiny surface.

For a moment, none of them could make sense of the scrolling patterns there. Then Inara said, "Is this a Vander Graff Supposition?"

Nir nodded. "Well done, Companion Serra."

"Oh," Inara said. "She's right, Mal, we have to help them."

Mal groaned. "This ain't some stupid spiritual nonsense, is it? I ain't gonna stop at Battleboury just because God told me to. Ain't got much stock in Him nowadays anyway."

Inara looked as though she was going to whack Mal over the head with Nir's tablet. Regaining her Companion-taught composure, she said, "A Vander Graff Supposition details estimated damage for uncontrolled situations."

"So? What's this haveta do with us helpin' or not helpin' them at Battleboury?" Mal questioned.

"The Supposition shows your ship if and, hopefully, when we help the crew of Stoïque at Battleboury," Nir informed him. "And that…" There was a click, and another set of patterns appeared. "… details what will happen if we do not."

Mal looked at it. "'Nara, you wanna translate fer us?"

Inara picked up the tablet. "I was never really very good at reading these," she said, "but it doesn't look good."

"It is not," Nir added.

Mal put a hand to his forehead. "So we don't help them, we're screwed over. If we do help them, we waste three days."

"Oh, no, Captain Reynolds," Nir said, a smile growing across her face.

"What? Was I wrong in m' calculations? Ask li'l Albatross, she'll tell ya if I was."

"You said it would be a waste," Nir reminded him, smiling. "The last thing this will be is a waste of time."