Hello. Iverik here. Just a reminder: This story uses characters created by someone other than me.
Facing the Black
Wash watched as the enemy gunship got closer and closer, approaching optimum firing range. He pursed his lips. He unbuckled his safety harness.
"He's got me, he's got me! Tell my Ma I love her..." Wash screamed into a recorder. It was set up to play when anything got within twenty meters of the exhaust port, once turned on. He flicked it on.
"We're on the clock," he cried. Running back into the aft compartment, he joined his crew and the professor. Everyone checked their seals.
"He's got me!" The Wash-Computer screamed. And the ship's outer door exploded into nothingness.
Riding a wave of escaping atmosphere, four people and three space-proof boxes of samples sailed into the 'verse. Moments later, an autodemarch missile destroyed the Alliance gunboat Whiskey Charlie Six.
Back on the world, Alliance Intelligence Officers found "satellite photos" showing Autodemarch heavy weaponry and an installation of unknown purpose and sinister design. A heavy cruiser in orbit and a flight of gunships demolished it. Four Alliance dogtags were later found in the rubble.
Jayne attended Aria's funeral.
Mal watched patiently. Wash had engineered it so that the seven-parcel debris cloud was on course for the rendezvous. They would reach it about thirty minutes before their oxygen ran out. Zoe was actually asleep.
The journey was uneventful. They arrived at the rendezvous right on schedule. "Gotta hand it to you, Wash." Mal beamed.
"Uh, sir?" Zoe scanned the sky. "We're at the rendezvous, right?"
"Yup."
"Then where's Serenity?"
"uh... Wash?!"
"Don't look at me. This is the place."
"Something wrong?" Professor Bi'ence inquired.
"Come on, Kaylee," Mal pleaded to the empty sky, "come on, come on, come on..."
Mal stared in mounting horror at the empty sky. Jubal Early's voice seemed to ring in his ears. He stared death in the face- and for the first time in a long time he couldn't just laugh at it, or shoot at it. He was helpless, drifting to his doom.
Gradually, it dawned on him that the others were shouting. "It's Inara!" Zoe cried.
The small shuttle swooped in, awkwardly trying to match speeds with the travelers. An airlock beckoned. A small coil of cable snaked out. The Professor, being the closest, caught it. Holding hands and trapping the cargo between them, the four castaways went home.
"Where's Jayne?" Inara wanted to know, inspecting each of her shipmates (and addition) in turn.
"More to the point, where's Serenity?" Mal wanted to know.
"She's not coming," Inara said softly.
"What do you mean she's not..."
"Such a tragedy," Inara sobbed. Then she looked up dry-eyed. "The Alliance has decided that Kaylee is a hero."
"I- what!?" Mal sputtered.