Personal Note: waves I hope everyone had a good Solstice centered holiday. (regardless of which you celebrate)
Jayne was pretty damned glad not to wake up with River all sprawled across him. She was touching him, but it was hard not to in this space. That was her sitting against his side, but he… Anyway.
"Know you're awake." She said happily.
Jayne pried his eyes open to look at her. She had the storage compartment open and she was fiddling around in it. He could hear some sort of metallic scraping going on in there.
"Whacha doin?" He grumbled.
"Preparing to disembark." She burbled.
Jayne blinked. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen her so happy looking. She was quietly mumbling and humming to herself.
Suddenly River turned towards him and smiled.
Damn. To think he'd thought he might be getting used to having her so close.
"Are you hungry, James?" Her smile didn't leave, but the scratching sound stopped.
He touched his stomach, trying to figure out if he was or not. "Not yet."
She turned back to the compartment again, humming louder.
Jayne shifted so he could see what she was doing.
Their only blanket was laid out in one half of the space and everything they had was piled on top of it. The food, the empty wrappers and a pile of things River had pried off of the waste recycling machine.
She was using a strip of something to remove screws from it now.
"Ain't you afraid they'll beat us for cutting stuff up?" Jayne asked.
River shook her head. "The bird will fly away before vandalism is discovered."
He watched her, half looking for a topic that would fill the silence.
"You didn't get sick." Not that he wanted to deal with vomit stench.
Her nose wrinkled. "I don't know why. Except... last time I was more emotional. Scared, angry…" She shivered and concentrated on her work.
"What about the first time?" Jayne wondered aloud.
She turned to look at him, staring for a disquieting moment. "Two by two." Was all she managed to say.
"You mean two of those hun dans that go around making people scream?" He swallowed. "Like on Ariel?"
"Like them, yes."
She placed another screw in the old food tray and pried the side of the machine off.
"You're afraid of me." Her words were somewhere between a statement and a question.
"No." He adjusted his body into a more comfortably position. "I figure you ain't gonna hurt me if you ain't done it yet."
She met his eyes. "Logical. Not necessarily true." Her lips twitched. "I could be biding my time, choosing my moment."
Jayne shook his head. "Naw. Its on account of my good looks and pleasing manner."
Her laugh didn't quite sound like she agreed. "Yes, of course. You're right."
He scowled.
"Hmm." She sounded pleased. She continued to pick and pry at the machine, removing bits one at a time. Most of the pieces went onto the blanket, but some got tied into her hair or slipped into his pockets.
Jayne watched her work. "You really think they'll let us take all that with us?"
River nodded. She paused for a few seconds then spoke slowly. "They have 'given' us the food. If we do not take it out of the cage, we forfeit it, we 'give it back.' They want us to give it back but will not hinder us when we take it with us. It is part of our official supplies, they will not leave us more food than this."
"You know what's gonna happen?" That was news to Jayne.
"I am the creepifying reader." She reminded him. "I know enough to form plans. They split up their cargo, two by two."
"Wouldn't we have a better chance in a group?" Jayne was starting to worry.
"There is a loophole in the law. The bounties will be higher if they create more settlements. What the law intended to indicate townships, can be interpreted as homesteads. The other couples will be farther than a comfortable days walk."
"Huh, what else?"
"Don't resist. James must not attempt to overcome our captors. Our chances of survival are better than our chances of success against the men carrying guns." She frowned, cute little lines formed on her forehead. "They have planned extensively. They have done this before."
Jayne didn't want to hear that. He wanted to bash in some skulls.
River stared at him with those gorram huge eyes of hers.
"James must promise." She leaned towards him, glaring intently.
"But…" He groped around his brain for another plan. "You could kill them all with your brain and we could fly us home." Jayne suggested.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Look around the box. Who would let us out?" She tilted her head.
"Well, do it when they let us out, then." He suggested.
"They use a shuttle. Short range, not spaceworthy." She turned back to disassembling the machine. "Even if we stole the shuttle, pursuit would be inevitable, capture certain, punishment grievous. They outnumber us, outgun us and the probabilities indicate failure."
She sighed. "Besides, you will see, there will be no opportunity presented."
"Then I ain't gotta promise." He groused.
"Indeed." She sounded amused again. "Just try not to get us killed."
Like he really would. He was good at what he did, gorramit.
"Would James please pull on this?" River asked.
"Ri-Santha…" He still wasn't sure they should be tearing up bits of the ship.
"I said please." Her expression got all hurt and hopeful.
How was a fellow supposed to resist when a girl made that kind of eyes at him? He reached into the gut of the machine.
"Here." River guided his hand. "Pull towards you."
He sighed and obeyed. It was stuck tight, but gave after a few seconds. His arm shot back and bounced on the padded wall.
"Thank you." She laid the part into the blanket, smiling again.
"You're all happy today." Jayne grumbled.
She nodded. "Freedom approaches. There is much to be done in preparation."
River looked over the bones of the waste recycler and nodded. She turned to the speaker on the wall.
"Ain't that dangerous with electricity running thru it?" Jayne asked.
"My tool is insulated." She showed him the strip of metal she was using to unscrew the panels. She'd wrapped plastic from the food containers around the end she was holding.
"How do you know…"
"Because I have not been electrocuted." She explained, turning back to her work.
"Taking a risk." He complained.
"Worth it."
River continued her destructive work. She even pried at the padding of the cell, but gave that up after only a moment. At least this was a bit of revenge. The gorram idiot slavers would have to refit this cell completely.
"I'm taking the light next." She began tying the blanket into a tight package. "I will hand you the pieces to put in your pocket."
She was still handing him useless bits of salvage when they felt the tremors of atmosphere. "Brace." River ordered suddenly, throwing herself onto his chest.
Jayne reached out with feet and hands, pushing as hard as he could into the padded walls. River clung to his shoulders and braced with her feet.
"Now." She said, almost as soon as they were secure.
Jayne tensed a bit more. The ship hit dirt with more force than the average spaceship landing. The parcel of food and salvage bounced against his arm.
River giggled. "The pilot is being chastised. He has broken a landing strut."
Jayne grunted.
"Now we wait. It won't be long. I…" Her voice grew uncertain. "I think I should go watch. Hold me please?"
"Riv…" He sighed. "Alright." He pulled her towards him again.
It seemed like she was only gone a moment this time, then she was back and gasping. He was almost getting used to this.
"Shuttle is undamaged, so plans proceed." As she said it, they felt the acceleration of the shuttle taking off.
"We're already on the shuttle?" Jayne felt his forehead wrinkle. He'd thought they might have a chance when they were moved.
"Yes, they have done this before. The cells are on the shuttle." She didn't bother to move off him, and Jayne decided he didn't mind.
"Wouldn't it save fuel to detach in atmo like Inara does?" Jayne asked.
"That takes more skill than possessed by our current pilot." She sounded amused. "We killed the one who could do that. We are very costly cargo."
The shuttle made three clumsy landings before their compartment opened.
"Everybody out." Barked a hard voice. They couldn't see who spoke because the light was too bright.
River shifted and gestured that he should go first, then she shoved the blanket wrapped bundle into his arms.
He felt like protesting.
"Go." She whispered.
Jayne exited the sleeper cell feet first, bringing along the food.
River followed immediately.
There were only two men outside, but their gun barrels didn't leave much room for negotiating.
Jayne took in their surroundings at a glance. They were standing in a wooded area. He could see a planet in the sky, so that indicated they were on a moon, a fairly small one judging from the feel of it.
There were two crates with a Colony Office logo on them placed some distance away from their captors.
He glanced back, the girl was out. The bank of sleeper cells were welded into the side of the shuttle. The doors opened right up to the outside. Jayne's gut clenched. Those doors wouldn't hold up to a hard vacuum.
"Over there next to the crates." The man on the left spoke. He had either a lisp or an accent, hard to say which.
Jayne went, trying to keep his body between the men and River.
"Just got some paperwork for you fine folks before we leave you to your new home." The taller man was probably in charge, he was the only one talking.
"No paperwork until we are supplied with information." River said, stepping around him.
Both gun barrels shifted slightly towards the girl. Damn. Jayne had an instinctive urge to pull her behind him, but after barely a heartbeat, she started talking again.
"Sergei Illavich Terni and Martin Cramer of the bulk cruiser I Henry's Star/I under section V, Paragraph P of the Resettlement Code, you are bound by law to render any and all current planetary information to new settlers upon landing. Including and not limited to a complete copy of the Settler's Handbook as published by the Alliance Colonial Resettlement Office."
She shifted her stance to mimic military parade rest. "I will wait for you to retrieve those documents before we deal with the paperwork."
Jayne was impressed. She sure sounded like she knew what she was talking about.
The two men whispered together, guns still raised.
Jayne saw the opening. He could… River's hand on his arm stopped him. She shook her head slightly.
The one who'd done the talking stomped back into the shuttle.
The other firmed up his grip and glared at them over his gun barrel.
Jayne relaxed. Moving now would only get River/Santha shot for sure. After that little speech the man was more focused on her.
The one with the accent was gone for a long time. When he finally clomped back down the ramp he held a cheap looking palm-held book reader and a handful of data wands. He handed both to River, scowling. Then he backed up next to his partner.
"Your compliance in this matter will be noted." Ri-Santha told the man. "Give me the papers and I will fill them out."
Their captors glanced uneasily at each other.
"We usually…"
"That is immaterial. I will enter the appropriate data on the forms." River insisted.
The shorter man put the folder he was holding down on the ground. He tossed a pen on top.
River calmly walked forward and took them. She retreated to the crates and knelt to use one as a table. She opened the folder and started writing. Her hand moved quickly, without hesitating. Jayne stepped closer to read what she was writing. Either her cover story was really detailed, or she was able to make shit up real fast. When she got to his forms she didn't hesitate either.
When she was done she walked the file right back to the men and handed it to them.
"Tell your captain he could lose his license if he doesn't start following the spirit of the law." River said. "You may use your camera now."
The shorter man, still looking spooked, took a little camera off his belt and aimed it at River. He took a shot and turned to Jayne.
"Smile." River told him.
Jayne set his jaw.
Their captors exchanged glances, but the little one shot the picture anyway. When he was done, they both disappeared onto the shuttle.
Jayne and River stood their ground as their captors took off, leaving them.
"Damn." Jayne said as they cleared the trees. He turned to the girl. "That was some mighty impressive talk, River-girl."
"Santha." She corrected, not looking up at him as she fitted a data wand into the reader. She sighed as words began filling the screen.
"But…"
She looked up with a strained smile. "Her brother was wrong not to change their names and identities. Santha Brown is my best, most complete cover. She exists in the Cortex with my own face attached." She grinned. "The picture is six years old, but now they have a new one."
Jayne watched her, disconcerted, as she plugged in the chips one after the other. She scanned the index of each one before moving on.
"Well, I don't like being James." Jayne growled.
"You chose it." She said absently, scrolling thru pages of text and diagrams.
"Well I unchose it." He scowled.
"Hmm? You should have told me before we landed. Now you're entered in the Cortex as James Coleson. Can't take it back, continuity is important." She sighed and looked up, focusing on him. "What about Jamie? It sounds more like Jayne, but keeps our story intact." Her attention shifted back to the screen again.
While he was thinking that over, muttering "Jamie, Jamie," She found what she was looking for and squealed in excitement.
"Look!" She held the viewer up where he could see it.
"Huh?" He stared at the schematic without a clue what he was looking at.
"Communications device." She explained. "Cortex link. Full WAVE functionality." She said each word reverently.
"That's just a picture. We don't have all the parts to make something like that."
River grinned at him, then laughed aloud at his expression. "We'll find all the pieces. We have a whole world to find them in." She made a sweeping gesture. "We will find them one by one, then Captain Mal will come for us as a father returns for his children."
Jayne decided to let it go. "If you say so, girl."
River turned the reader back to herself and continued her exploration of the data it contained.
Jayne watched her for a moment. "I need to pee. Can you stay right here for a little bit?" Wasn't all he was planning, but he didn't want to bring that up.
"Certainly." She didn't look up from her book. "Go relieve yourself. I will be safe enough."
Jayne didn't go far. In fact, he stayed close enough that he could see the back of her head. He hoped that she wasn't doing her reader thing right then, because his 'relief' didn't come until he let himself think about how good she felt pressed against him. Nothing wrong with using the fine memories.
When he was done and buttoned back up, Jayne leaned against a tree and looked at her.
How had this happened, anyway? Stranded alone with the crazy girl on some unknown moon.
Could she really make a Cortex link out of nothing? It wouldn't do any good to tell her she couldn't. Especially since maybe she really could.