DR: Hey hoy, first update since returning to work... boy I'm tired! Anyway, here's the last chapter with 'bad' events...
Bit: ...And some loving...(*grins at Inara*)
Inara: (*ignores Bit completely*)
DR: Bit, behave. But yes, there is some of 'that' going on in here... sorta. To keep the rating the same, I've cut those scenes out and will upload them as a seperate, 'M' rated story at a later date, assuming people want me to...
O'Neill: Whatever. Onward!
Chapter 22: The Eve of the War
Serenity rose up into space alongside the transport that once more contained the Fury. Ahead, the solid form of Thunderchild was a welcome sight.
In the cockpit, Mal nodded to himself when a hail came in from the Colonial warship.
"I take it everything went well?" Achilles asked.
"Cut it close, but those two got to us in time." Mal answered. "So, where to next Colonel?"
Achilles answer was a long time coming. "Hera, Reynolds. We're going to the planet Hera."
Mal frowned. "Why?"
"Check the news feeds."
Confused, Mal told Wash to pull them up. Behind him he heard the rest of the crew moving into the cockpit, wanting to know what was happening.
"...tragedy struck today when an illegal gathering of citizens, goaded into meeting in a public place on Hera by extremists and terrorists, came under fire from those same individuals, hoping to goad the crowd into rioting. Fortunately, Federal Security Services were able to identify the persons responsible for this atrocity and have already made several arrests..."
"As with everything in this system," Achilles cut in. "The truth is rather different. This was broadcast earlier."
The feed from the battlecruiser showed a man stood with a mike a short distance from a crowd of people, chanting and waving placards.
"...for INN, I'm here on Hera, where a large number of ordinary citizens have gathered to protest against the Alliance Governments infringement of liberties. The crowd is determined to be a peaceful protest; their only desire is that their voice is heard.
Most of these people are from the surrounding areas, office workers, doctors and shopkeepers. Decent people with honest complaints and concerns. They have picketed the Alliance controlled government buildings here, and so far have not offered any sign of violence." As the camera swung to follow the leading edge of the crowd, the tall, lean shapes of two Public Security Towers came into view. Mal had learned about them from Monty, Gregory and Badger. They were supposed to be the means to monitor for crime and other threats. Equipped with a battery of cameras, they cut the need for feds to be stationed everywhere, allowing them to be available to respond to a problem.
"So far there has been no visible response from the Federal secur... wait. Something's happening to the towers."
The camera swung upwards to focus on the top of the towers just ahead of the crowd. The top section, which contained a number of cameras and speakers, was rising up. When it stopped, two sections moved out from the core, held by a thick pole. A hatch opened in the centre of the core as a long, thin rod extended from the side units.
Mal's eyes widened in horror as he realised what he was looking at. Quickly he stepped in front of Kaylee, to shield her from what was going to happen.
The side pods rotated, thick belts shifting with the motion. From the central hatch a squat box rose, in parallel with the side units, which were now clear as being heavy machineguns.
Inara gasped and turned away.
Between them, the two towers massacred most of the crowd. Dozens were gunned down in the first few seconds, and more were killed as they tried to run and find cover. A few took cover behind a road vehicle, but one of the towers stopped firing the machineguns, and instead used the central barrel. A fine red laser beam stabbed out, slicing right through the car... and the people behind it. The feed cut off.
"That happened only a couple of hours ago, and despite the Alliances attempts, it appears that the whole planet has fallen in rebellion, sparked by that shooting spree, and the word is spreading." Achilles spoke once more, his tone weary. "From what we've gathered by listening to the pirate bands, the people are in an uproar, but are terrified too. That fear of reprisal is stopping them from acting."
Mal slowly nodded. "Looks like Nathaniel was right." He sucked in a deep breath. "You're planning on joining the fight."
"Correct. I don't what us to get embroiled in a civil war, but I can not stand by and watch as innocent people are killed. The Alliance has already made an enemy with us, but we will attempt to mediate." Achilles smiled grimly, acknowledging the likelihood of that happening. "If the Alliance pushes us any further though..."
Mal could hear the latent threat in Achilles words.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Niska was sweating heavily as he and his men finally reached town. It had taken them the whole night to return to where they had snatched Malcolm Reynolds and his engineer, and now they were all tired, dusty and sore. Many were sporting severe sunburns from the weapon that... that metal demon had fired.
As he walked towards the centre of town, Niska fumed. He'd been terrified when he saw that monster, but now he was furious. While he owned many stations, he didn't have a large fleet of ships. And the Gunship was especially precious. It had taken a lot of work to get a full military spec gunship, and it had paid back dividends with its intimidation value. The ability to have the Feds 'on call' – or at least a very realistic facsimile – was a bonus.
But now it was gone, blown away, along with a valuable ship and skiff. He knew Mal had powerful friends now, but Niska would not allow this stain on his reputation to linger any more! He vowed there and then that once he returned to his skyplex, all his resources would be bent on finding Malcolm Reynolds and bringing him to Niska. He'd also have men find the secret of that monster, and how to turn it to serve him.
He was so focused inwards, he didn't take note of the wailing of older women in the town, nor the angry yells of men, young and old. He was unaware of how they lamented the disappearance of all the women in the town between the ages of twelve and twenty.
In fact he was totally unaware of what was happening until a building just in front of him exploded with green fire.
Niska was thrown onto his back by the blast. With the wind knocked out of him, he at last heard the wails, now changing to cries of fear and panic as there were more explosions. From his position on the ground, Niska was able to look straight up towards the sky. From up there he saw bolts of sickly green rain down from a single point... a point with a small black arrowhead in the middle.
People began to run towards the outskirts, but a fine red beam came down, widening as it did, until at ground level it was several dozen meters wide. It hammered into the ground and then circled the town, drawing a ring of fire that trapped the townsfolk within it. The shaking of the ground as the laser blasted apart the top soil caused people to stumble, some right into the super hot flames rising from the carved earth. Death was mercifully quick.
And all the while the green bolts rained down, each one igniting the air as it fell. Buildings disintegrated as they were struck, even metal burning as the materials were scattered far and wide.
Niska gasped for breath, the super heated air burning his lungs. His clothes had started to smoulder when another green bolt came down, but didn't veer one way or another.
Niska had just enough time to realise that the bolt would land on him when the plasma shot slammed into the ground.
In orbit, the Nightbringer continued to fire until the whole area enclosed by the ring of fire it had laid down was a rolling maelstrom of flame and plasma. Its job done, the ship fired it's thrusters to turn after the Colonial ship.
Within one of the black ships holds, the young women kidnapped the previous night were barely aware of the change, trapped as they were in their own nightmares. Held in place by bonds that flowed from the bulkheads and around their bodies, their minds were kept drugged by direct jugular feeds. Low moans of fear and pain echoed throughout the hold as the ship accelerated, its engines pushed as hard as they could go.
The Nightbringer had a new mission, one that superseded all others. Its next target was the Colonial ship itself...
X-X-X-X-X-X
Mal sighed as he sank onto his bunk. Today had been a more 'interesting' day than he cared for. He didn't dare think about what would have happened had Vega and the Fury not been on hand to rescue them. Niska would have tortured him again, when the last time still gave him nightmares occasionally. As for Kaylee... he shuddered, refusing to even acknowledge the danger she'd been in.
He'd just removed his boots when the chime from the hatch sounded. He sighed. "Come on down 'nara. You don't need to knock."
Swiftly but gracefully Inara stepped down into the cabin. Like she had done before she palmed the button to close the hatch behind her as she stepped around the ladder. "It's the proper thing Mal, to give you the choice of refusing entry."
"'Nara, you know I'd never refuse you." Mal said gently as he stepped over to her. As she looked up at him, the fear and relief that earlier he'd seen hinted in her eyes when he'd returned to Serenity were all over her face. He was surprised to see a tear begin to fall from the corner of one eye. "Hey..." He half whispered, bringing a hand up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing the tear away.
That simple action appeared to the last straw for her, for with a gasp she threw her arms around him, dragging him into a tight hug. Mal really didn't put much resistance: having her warm, soft, desirably feminine body pressed up against his was something to relish.
"I thought I'd never see you again..." She whispered, her voice shaky with barely controlled emotions.
Having feared the same, Mal had no words to reassure her. He gently eased her back a little so he could look at her face. Looking into her dark, liquid eyes, he saw fear and longing. Along with rising desire that matched his own...
With a short muttered curse he dropped his mouth onto hers, letting go of any form of control. She stiffened for a moment, taken aback by his forwardness. But then her tongue darted out of her mouth to invade his own, while her arms snaked around him once more, no longer seeking comfort, but instead rousing passion.
Mal luxuriated in the taste of her spiciness, the soft curves of her magnificent body. For once her sordid past didn't matter. He forgot her old job, her former role in society. Now, there was just them, him and her.
X-X-X-X-X-X
In the far corner of the crew cabins, River was gasping just as badly as either of the two lovers had been. Her clothes were rumpled and sweat stained, and her eyes almost glassy. Slowly she turned her head till she was looking directly at where Mal and Inara were, even with the bulkheads between them and her.
"Gorram it you two..." She whispered, but there was no real heat to her words.
X-X-X-X-X-X
In the next cabin, Jayne tossed over, muttering in his half asleep condition. "Gorram crazy's still blooming screaming......"
X-X-X-X-X-X
The next 'morning', Wash's voice over the comm broke them both from the light doze they were in.
"Mal, you'd better get up here."
Mal shared a look with Inara, whose eyes mirrored his own concern, before he grabbed his shirt and pants. Throwing them on rapidly, he was only vaguely aware of Inara stepping past him to collect her own gown and night dress. Once he was dressed enough, he opened the hatch above him and began to climb out. When he reached the forward passage he noted that Zoe was making her way out of the dining area. Other footsteps indicated that others were also responding to Wash's call.
Wash was waiting for in the cockpit, a stricken look on his face. "You'd better see this..." was all he said.
Mal followed his eye line... to a display of a news broadcast. After a moment Wash must have un-muted the sound, as the word spoken by the reporter began to be heard.
"...regret to announce that the main settlement on Durrilon was destroyed yesterday..." Small gasps of horror came from behind him, revealing the presence of both Inara and Kaylee. But Mal was totally focused on the words. "...from an unexpected and totally unpredicted meteor shower. Rescue crews have searched the area, but report that there are no survivors. The Ministry of Public Concern released a statement just minutes ago, stating that 'While this tragic loss of life is shocking, it should be noted that had such a shower threatened a core world it would have been detected and destroyed. But out on those savage outer planets... are horribly exposed to such dangers.' When asked about the fact that this was the second settlement on an outer planet to be destroyed by rogue asteroids in a week, the Ministry official responded by stating that 'such are the dangers of the outer planets, especially those that lack or resist Alliance rule and protection.'"
Wash turned the feed off as the reporter launched into another story, but Mal didn't notice. He stood there, unmoving, a dark look in his eyes.
"We were just there yesterday..." Kaylee whimpered. "All those people, killed..."
"They weren't killed." Mal cut in, drawing startled looks from the others. "They were murdered."
Before the rest of the crew could even begin to refute Mal's statement, the console behind Wash chimed. He turned his chair to look at it. "We're got a call coming in, from our big friend."
"Put him through." Mal snapped, tension clear in his tone.
The screen cleared to show Achilles unsmiling face. In fact, he looked downright ticked off. "I take it from your expressions that you've seen the report on the local news that I just have." He spoke with no pre-amble.
"We saw it." Mal replied simply. "Seems pretty clear to me."
On the screen Achilles nodded. "Yes. That meteor shower storms a cover, nothing more. If there had been such a storm, we would have seen it."
"So I take it you think the same thing that I do?"
Achilles just nodded grimly. "I don't just think, I know." He paused for a long moment. "Listen, continue with your journey, and don't worry about it. We're going to drop back for a bit... and deal with things."
The cold way he said that made shivers run down most of Serenity's crews spines. They knew, even without asking, that this time there would be no offer to 'walk away'. This time, Thunderchild would show just what she really could do.
Daniel: Oh oh.
Teal'c: Indeed.
DR: Yes, next time we have the event you've all been waiting for... the day of reckoning for the Alliance Cruiser.
Mitchell: Those fools don't stand a chance.
DR: (*Evil smile*) We'll see...