Chapter Two
"Alright, you all know what's happening," Mal had gathered the crew members back into the cargo hold as him, Zoe, and Jayne put on their EVA suits. "We tried hailing the ship but got no answer. River seems to think there are people alive on board, and it's safe."
He had to add in the last part, the memories of the settler ship they found that the Reavers had attacked still a not to distant memory.
"So, we taking advice from the crazy girl now?" Jayne grumbled as he fastened his suit.
"The girl's a reader, I think we've all figured that one out already," the captain fastened his own suit, "anyway, the engine on the other ship is running hot, could be normal for her type, could be she's ready to blow. So we're going to go over, see what we see and decide from there."
"You think it's Alliance?" Wash asked, probably still as puzzled over the design of the ship as he was.
"Could be some kind of new Alliance craft," Mal grabbed his helmet, making a quick adjustment, "could be a privately owned one of a kind."
"That's a lot of could's," Simon commented.
"If there are people alive on board," Book interrupted, "we have to help them."
"We know how that turned out last time," Jayne picked up a smaller handgun rather than his usual fully automatic fare.
"Yes, well," Mal couldn't really argue, "we almost got a pretty good pay day out of that so let's keep optimistic shall we?"
"I should go, if they need help," Simon meekly interjected. Mal took the young man on as medic despite him being a fugitive because he was a brilliant doctor, but also because he was honest. Simon didn't hide the things that scared him and he still did what he had to do.
"Stay here for now," Mal decided, "if we got people need doctoring, we'll call for a doctor. Kaylee, keep an eye on the engine readings, let us know if anything changes."
"Will do, capt'n," her voice not quite as cheery as usual in light of the situation.
A few minutes later and they had a seal against the unknown ship. The design was odd, but ship docking hatches were one of the few universal constants in the galaxy.
The lights in the unknown ship were emergency only, a thin layer of haze drifting above their heads. There was noise, typical sounds of an engine trying its hardest to do something, but not sure what. The hull design was… different, almost like it came out of an old sci-fi movie on the Cortex.
"Breathable air, sir," Zoe had the atmo-reader out, "traces of chemicals and smoke but nothing that will kill us if we don't stay too long."
"Right," he answered through the helmet's comm unit, "but let's keep sealed for the moment till we find the bridge."
"Aye, sir," she replied and they headed in what they believed to be the direction of the bridge. Unless you were just trying to be funny, all ships of this size generally had the same layout.
As they approached an open area it was quickly recognized as a common room, a large table thrown to the side and units built into the wall. Two bodies lay sprawled on the floor. Jayne brought his weapon to bear as did Zoe.
Carefully, Mal leaned down to check the first, a male, broadly built like Jayne, with massive bruising and a gash across his head, though he was breathing, if only just. The other was a woman, long blonde hair matted across her face and she seemed to have fared better. Both where wearing the same style outfit, long brown robes which were now tattered and blood soaked, a long cylinder hanging from their belt.
"We got two," Mal called back to the ship over the comm, "unconscious, bleeding, but stable and alive. Tell Simon he'll have some patients after all, though we need to check the rest of the ship first."
It would do these two no better if they got themselves attacked by a Reaver or some other ungodly thing while they had their backs turned.
"Understood," Wash's voice came back. "And Kaylee reports no change in the engine readings."
"Good to know," he clicked the comm off then gestured for Zoe to take point down the hallway that represented the most logical choice.
Lying across the threshold of the cockpit door was another female, this one in what looked like combat fatigues, her hair braided back and jacket unzipped, a cylinder also attached at the belt. She had some bruising and a cut on her brow, but also looked stable. Jayne grabbed her under the arms to pull her into the hall out of the doorway, she moaned but then went still again.
"Got another," Mal sent to Serenity as he scooted past. "Doesn't look like Reavers attacked, but they certainly took a hit from something."
The cockpit was a bit smaller than the Firefly's, the pilot's chair at point in the center, a man slumped in the seat. Another man sat slumped in the seat just behind and off center, perhaps a co-pilot or navigation chair? Neither seemed hurt, just passed out.
"EM or sonic pulse?" Zoe suggested as she kept an eye on Jayne.
"Might be," Mal leaned around the pilot, getting a look at the station, though most the screens and lights were out. "We can get Wash to take a look—"
The man in the pilot's chair grasped Mal's wrist, startling him and he heard his crewmates draw their weapons.
"Woah, friend," the captain gave his best non-aggressive tone, "you had some kind of accident, we just come to help you is all."
It took a moment for the blonde man to register the words, staring at him and blinking a few more times than usual. He turned his head and saw Zoe and Jayne with their guns drawn, Mal gestured for them to re-holster.
"Just gave us a bit of a fright," Mal explained, wondering if this was a private ship, maybe they'd get some type of reward for saving the occupants.
"Of course," the words were hoarse, and the accent odd, "thank you."
"Some of your friends are hurt," he politely removed his hand from the man's grip, "just about to get our doctor over here to help them."
The unknown man nodded, releasing his restraints to stand shakily, "Corran," he called out to the other who then began to stir at his name.
"Wash," Mal spoke to the comm, "tell Simon to grab his kit, Jayne will meet-"
"Mal!" the pilot's voice interrupted him, "River says boom!"
"What?" this was a point of panic, "Boom? When? Now?"
"She just says boom!" was the answer and he could hear someone almost singing the word in the background.
The pilot of the unknown ship heard the conversation and was pushing buttons on the console. His co-pilot regained consciousness, warily eyeing the rest of them, "Luke?"
"Core has been overheating, pressure building," his head shot up, "it's gone critical and containment is failing. It will blow any second now."
"Right," Mal was already moving, "Wash, be ready to fly far far away as soon as we're on board. We got incoming wounded," he turned to the two men, "No time for souvenirs, follow us."
They only gave each other a quick glance then moved from their seats, following him out into the hall. Zoe and Jayne had already started moving to the common area so that left the woman in front of him. Quickly Mal leaned down and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her up and over his own shoulder. Time was seriously lacking, no need to be neat and pretty about it.
Jayne had the big man over his shoulder, Zoe the blonde woman. The EVA suits may be a bit on the bulky side, but when you had the adrenaline running, it was surprising what you could do in them. There was also that powerful urge not to get blown up.
"Any more of you?" Mal asked the two men and they shook their heads no.
The ship shuddered.
"Containment's almost at failure point," the pilot said grimly.
"Then we best be moving a mite faster," the group rushed down the hall. Thankfully it was a small ship, streamlined, so very little in the way of stairs to trip them up.
Simon and Book greeted them at the hatch, the Sheppard quick to shut the bulkhead behind them.
"We're secure," Simon called up to Wash, then moved over to the man Jayne was holding. "Medbay."
"Kaylee," Wash's voice was heard over the ship's communications system, "I need full burn, now."
"Shiny, go," her voice answered back.
"Hold on," the pilot warned everyone and the ship shook as it shot away from the doomed ship.
There wasn't much for Mal to hold except the woman over his shoulder, so he held her tight and he braced himself as the ship shuddered.
"The other ship just blew," Wash spoke again, "but we're in the clear."
Taking a sigh of relief, Mal was about to walk towards the medbay where Jayne, Zoe and Book had already taken the other two when the female he was holding woke up. She thrashed violently and he lost his grip, dropping her forward, but instead of falling on her rear she caught herself and skidded back.
"Woah," he held his hands up, where all the people on that ship jumpy?
"Nen utat jade," the blonde man shouted out and the woman's eyes refocused onto her shipmate. It was now that Mal noticed she was a red-head with green eyes. Dangerous combination as that meant she'd fetch a high price on the market. Thankfully for her, Mal would do many things for a payday, but human trafficking was never one of them.
This thought was suddenly interrupted by the realization that he had no idea what language the man was speaking and the woman replying in.
"Tua ben na-cogha?" her words sounded like a question to Mal as he took his helmet off. "Bocha ten ut force?"
The blonde's eyes darted around, then he nodded solemnly, "Ut force ten cochie, tua bien seta notcha."
"Someone want to fill me in?" Mal asked as the female dropped her defensive stance then started to wither slightly, touching the wound on her head.
"My apologizes," the blonde pilot spoke, seemingly taking on the leadership roll, "we did not expect this, we don't even know where we are. It's a bit… unsettling."
"No worries," he smiled, trying to keep on the good side of the people. They didn't seem Alliance to him, the robes where a bit odd, maybe some religious order. A decent pay day might be just around the corner. "You're about a day's flight from Persephone, we are headed there now. Happy to give you a lift."
"Puta tocha Persephone?" the other man, Corran he thought was the name, spoke up in the strange language, "Nen tua puta. Lauta force ten cochie?"
"You know," Mal was always a cautious man and while he didn't expect trouble from them, something didn't sit right either, "you've been through a lot, and I got the best doc from here to Osiris working on your friend, so why don't you clean yourselves up, set your brains straight, then we can help you figure this out."
The dark haired man and the female looked to the pilot, who nodded, "Yes, thank you, we'd like to check on our friends first though."
"Of course, Kaylee," he called to the mechanic who had found her way into the hold, "show our guests to the medbay, then to the guest quarters."
"Shiny, cap'tn," she smiled at the three who probably found the short brunette with teddy-bear coveralls probably the least threatening of the people they had met so far. "This way."
They followed her out of the hold, walking past Jayne and Zoe who had returned, helmets in hand. Once they were sure the guests were out of ear shot, Zoe spoke first, "What do you think, sir?"
"Odd bunch," he said truthfully as he started to remove his suit, "they got this wild language that I've never heard."
"And what's with the robes?" Jayne was also busy removing his EVA suit, "only monks and hospital patients wear robes."
"If they are monks," Zoe added, "then maybe the Sheppard will recognize the congregation?"
"Possible," Mal was lost in his own thoughts, "there's something not right about 'em, can't really say what, let's just keep an eye on 'em."
"Safe," River's voice drifted from the catwalk above.
Mal looked up at her, "Safe, mei-mei, are we safe from them?"
"Yes," she answered softly, "but are they safe from us?"
"Now what's that supposed to mean?"