As they strode into Sickbay, they caught sight of something unexpected. A tall, brown haired man was holding what looked to be an old fashioned pistol. Most likely loaded with real led or steel bullets.
"Captain!" Doctor Crusher sighed in relief, lowering her hands as everyone turned in their direction. Worf already had his fazer raised and pointed at the man who had changed from pointing the gun at the Doctor to pointing it at Worf. One of the group yelled, a short brown haired female, who backed away from the security officer.
"Please, lower your weapons. We mean you no harm. We transported you aboard when our ships seasons alerted us that your life support system failed." Picard explained.
"Are you the Captain?" The man, who was obviously the Captain from his ship, asked.
"Yes. I'm Captain Picard of the Star Ship Enterprise." Picard answered.
"Captain Malcolm Reynolds." He didn't lower his weapon.
"Mr. Worf." The captain motioned him to lower his weapon, Mal followed suit.
"So, you mind telling me how you whisked us away from our humble abode." Mal asked in a strong southern accent.
"We used the transporter." Riker answered not giving any more information then needed. They obviously didn't have this kind of technology yet. How they got into space, looking at their getup, was a complete mystery to him.
"Voices. So many. Below and above." Came a small, mystic voice. Riker turned his attention to who looked to be the youngest of the crew. A little girl who didn't look over 16. She had lain on the ground, her ear pressed to the floor as if she could hear the many voices on the lower decks. A young looking, well kept man knelt down beside her.
"River?" He asked, with concern only a sibling could understand.
"I can hear them. So happy. Peaceful. They can't see the other side." River muttered to the room.
Riker threw them a strange look. What is she talking about? He though to himself. The Doctor edged over, a medical tricorder in her hands. Who she assumed was the girls brother, looked up at her, giving her a curious look.
"It's alright." Crusher soothed. "I just want to see if she's okay. This will let me see." She motioned to her tricorder.
"She's a perfect picture of health, sides being crazy an all." Came the gruff voice of a not too pleasant looking man. He had a large gun strapped to his shoulder.
Picard drew their attention to the matter at hand and introduced the people in the room from Enterprise. Mal did the same, leaving out the fact that both River and Simon Tam were wanted criminals, though no one seemed to know that anyway.
"Captain, I'd like to complete a full physical on each of them. To be on the safe side." Doctor Crusher quietly asked Picard who nodded curtly. "From the simple scans I've taken so far from a few of there crew, I'm surprised some of them are still on there feet."
"Me and mine don't take too kindly to being whispered bout." Mal jumped into the conversation, moving closer so he could catch what they were saying.
"The Doctor would like to take a look at all of you, just to make sure there are no viruses or pathogenic bacteria being brought aboard the ship." Picard answered, getting unwelcoming looks from everyone.
"We have our own Doc, and he's done a fine job of us. There's no need." Mal stated, leaving the lines hanging so that there was no way around his decision. Picard thought otherwise.
"It is as much for your protection as it is for ours. It won't take long." Picard insisted.
Knowing the signs of a head strong leader, Mal knew this was probably one of those rare fights that he couldn't win. Also the fact that this wasn't his ship and there was one big, scary looking guy standing by Picard who didn't look like he'd have much trouble taking him out, and seeing as he had recently been wounded already, it wouldn't be a good thing to be tackled to the ground.
The Doctor motioned for Mal to be seated on the biobed behind him as Picard left with Data in tow. Riker and Worf were staying behind to make sure there were no accidents or arguments. Worf motioned for them to give up their weapons. Though this did not go down well with the crew they agreed to compromise. The Captain and Jayne were aloud side arms only if they were discreet. Of course Riker didn't tell them that the ship had its protocols. Any such weapon fired anywhere inside the ship would have a force instantly placed around it.
As Doctor Crusher took scans, gasping a few times at past wounds that had not properly healed, Riker turned his attention onto the strange, thin, frail looking girl named River. She was muttering quietly to herself, her eyes floating across the room. When they got to him, she stopped. He could almost feel her looking through his mind, and he shivered at her steady, strong gaze. There was something not quiet right about her.
"What do you mean, 'It happens all the time?'" The Doctors shrill voice range through the room.
"I don't ask to be shot. People just like shooting me." Came Mal's answer.
"Makes me think why" Beverly muttered. Lifting up the other Captain's shirt she ran along a tissue regenerator that helped closed up the wound leaving a small scar.
She moved her tricorder to River who looked at it with interest but didn't seem to mind, thought Simon was edging around her to see the readings as well. There was a silent 'My God' and Beverly moved over to the computer with a confused look plastered on her face.
"River, could you come over here?" She asked as River tilted her head and complied. Grabbing another instrument Beverly began another screening, bringing up an image onto the data screen on the wall.
"What is it?" Riker asked with curiosity.
"I'm not sure. I've never seen anything like this before." She answered in a small voice.
"You need to understand, I didn't know what they were doing to her. I only just found out recently myself." Simon stepped up.
"Seems to be a lot' a small chatter I can't hear. Anything interesting Doc." Mal pushed his way over. Simon was peering at the screen trying to make everything out, but it was difficult. There on the data screen was a picture of his sisters hacked at brain. The tissue scarring showing clearly as well as what he had seen earlier in his own images he had taken at Ariel.
"Who the hell did this?" Beverly shouted
"Did what?" Riker answered, not understanding the screen all that well.
"That." Beverly pointed as the screen enlarged and the image rotated showing them the missing segment of River's brain.
"The Academy. They did this to her. They were supposed to be helping her, teaching her, but this is what they were doing instead. Cutting up a perfectly healthy brain. I still don't know the full damage they did." They could hear the emotion coming from his voice. It was a difficult subject for him to talk about most of the time. It just wasn't fair. He hadn't been quick enough to save her, even though they had both escaped, she was still a prisoner in her own mind.
"Academy? What kind of academy cuts up brains as part of the learning programme?" Riker rhetorically asked.
"The Alliance." Mal answered for him anyway. "Who else?"
"Alliance? Who's alliance?"
Mal looked at him strangely, "Our alliance."
"I think what the Commander is asking is what race? We have come across a few who have specialized in this kind of field, but nothing to this extent." Beverly jumped in.
"Race? What the hell are you talking about. The only race out here. Us. Humans. That is who we are, isn't it?" Mal shot at them, feed up at their glances they slipped to one another.
There was a long silent pause before Riker talked again. "There are over 20,000 different cataloged species in the sections of space alone that we have explored." This caused different reactions from the varies Serenity crew members, thought the most used one was "WHAT?!"
"What the gorram hell are you folk talking bout?" Jayne was the first to ask. "There ain't no such thing as aliens. Spose maybe Reavers kinda fit that description though." He added as an after thought.
"Commander, if I may have a word with you in private?" Crusher motioned with her hand her towards her office. He nodded curtly and left the room, making sure they could not hear them.
"What is it?" He asked, straight to the point.
"The Captain said they came through some kind of wormhole? What if where they came from, didn't have any other species but there own?" Crusher asked Riker, wondering if her theory made any sense at all.
"Another dimension?" He pondered. "That would answer a lot of questions. The design of the ship, their weapons, no other alien species."
"Their speech even sounds different. I heard a few of them cursing before in Mandarin." Crusher added. "What are we going to do with them? I don't think the prime directive takes effect. They seem to have similar technology if somewhat primitive. Added to the fact that as far as I can tell, they're all human." The Doctor walked back and forth, passing by the window. They didn't see the Serenity crew having a conversation of their own.