Spartan's Quest - Chapter 14
Author owns no rights to Firefly, and writes only for his own amusement.
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The Apollo eased through the black, moving faster than she appeared, ferrying her charges toward Nightside, and safety. Prim frowned as he pondered that word; safety.
Would they be safe at Nightside? On the face of it, absolutely. The planet had a state of the art defense system, second to none in the 'verse. Better than anything the Alliance had, even at some of it's most important military bases. And there were numerous Brethren secreted among the planet's population, all loyal to Janos.
Add in the staff of the Manor, the security detail on board the ship, and the ship herself, in a pinch, and it was hard to imagine anyone or anything mounting a serious threat to the moon. But Prim had not lived so long by making assumptions.
If this man Brockman had managed to turn a large number of people in the time since he'd matured into his own being, then there would be a serious battle in the offing. For the first time in history, at least to Prim's knowledge, two groups of Brethren would face each other in open combat.
Certainly individuals had fought each other before, in times past. Often as members of opposing armies. But never before like this.
In a war between factions, exposure was almost certain. Something that would be a concern for everyone. Prim was under no illusions as to how the Alliance would react to the existence of creatures such as himself. They would go to any lengths to acquire the 'secret'. Far worse, though, was the matter of public opinion. What would the people think? Would it no longer be safe to walk the streets? To appear in public.
The Brethren had seen such times before, of course. But Prim had thought those times lay long in the past. Now, that peace and security was threatened.
And what of the mortals that had attached themselves to their longer lived friends? What might become of them? With none of the 'others' left to protect them, shield them from persecution, they would be vulnerable. He frowned at that thought.
Primeter Vatorian had been a soldier for centuries. He had fought in countless wars over those centuries, and was as skilled a tactician as Janos himself. He knew the risks of war. And he accepted them without pause. He had known, when he became a Roman Centurion, that the end of most soldiers came on a battlefield. His was a rare exception.
With time on his hands, now that the ship was away, Prim turned his not inconsiderable talents to working on a plan to win the war that was coming, and do so in a way that left their secret intact.
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Mal frowned as he checked the nav console aboard Artemis. Their departure from Hera had been delayed by the late arrival of the Cross family, and now they were working to make up that lost time. So far, his idea was working. But once the others discovered that everyone on their 'list' was going missing, it would be a simple matter to find out where they went. And follow them.
"We're only a few hours behind, now, sir," the pilot assured him, looking at Mal studying their plot. "We'll arrive at our next stop no more than two hours off schedule."
"And a lot can happen in two hours," Mal told him, never looking up. "That ain't a comment on your abilities," he added. "This here ain't your fault. Just is what it is, that's all. We can't do more than we can do," he concluded with a shrug, looking up.
"That don't mean I got to like it."
"No, sir," the pilot agreed. Mal headed for the passageway.
"Call if you need me," he ordered, then made his way to the galley. Neera was already there, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands.
"How we doing?" she asked, smiling up at him. He shrugged.
"Best we can," he replied, getting himself a cup of coffee. "All we can do."
"Then how about you relax a bit?" Neera asked, frowning only slightly. "You can't keep shouldering all this blame and guilt, Mal. None of this is your doing."
"I know," Mal sighed wearily. "Had we but won the war, I keep thinking, none o' this might be happenin' right now."
"Maybe," Neera conceded, seeing finally what really troubled him. "But I think you've let the war wreck enough of your life, Malcolm Reynolds. You aren't the first soldier to play for the losing side, you know. All of us have, at one time or another."
Mal looked at her for a moment.
"You included, I guess," he smiled a little. She nodded.
"How do you think I met Janos?" she grinned in reply. "I was an Amazon Princess, Mal, on Earth," she told him quietly. "We were a proud race. Warriors all. Janos and his. . .men, went through us like fec through a goose. Took them all of three days to nearly destroy my tribe." Mal frowned.
"I'd think that would leave some hard feelings, Neera," he said softly. She grimaced.
"We had it coming," she admitted. "We had terrorized the lands around us for over a generation, taking what we wanted. Men aren't the only ones who can rape, pillage and burn, you know," she added sheepishly. "And it's very difficult to stay mad at someone, even a man, who has given you a gift all out of proportion from what you really deserved."
"How. . .I mean, what's that like? Living so long, being like you are? I mean, compared to how you was?" Mal leaned forward, for once really interested in knowing something about the Brethren. At least his, anyway. Neera studied him for a while, searching his eyes.
"It's different," she shrugged. "At first, I was confused. And afraid. Very afraid, to be honest. And consumed by hatred. Amazons are raised from birth to hate and despise men. Finding out that a man held me prisoner, and had saved my life, hurt."
"Spect that's a truism," Mal nodded. Neera snorted.
"Janos kept me separate from the others," she continued. "I didn't know why, at first, and just assumed that he wanted me for himself. After a few days, I tried to get away, used a stick I'd ground to a point to stab him. When I did, he laughed at me, and pulled the stick out. I had struck him so hard that the stick had gone nearly to his spine."
"He tossed it away, and said 'have to do better than that, mortal', and laughed again, right in my face." Mal nodded, having been told that same thing, once.
"I was. . .I don't know how to describe it. I felt afraid, amazed, awed, so many things, all at once. He forced me to the ground, and sat down across from me. Even as I watched, his wound began to heal over. Right in front of me. He watched me for a long time, then smiled."
"'You wish this was you?' he asked me, and of course I said yes. He nodded, turning serious, and said 'Good.'. I had no idea what that meant, but then he started explaining how he had seen me fighting. How he admired my skill, and my determination. The fact that I refused to surrender, to quit. He described what my wounds were like, when he found me, how badly I was injured. The wounds he described were mortal, Mal. There was no way I should have been alive to have this conversation."
"Yet I was," she continued. "For the next several months, Janos stayed with me, teaching me, helping me. Educating me. He told me that he had given me a great gift, one that I would someday come to call a curse. All that he asked in return was that I fight evil wherever I found it, and that I defend those who could not defend themselves. He warned me he would be watching me, from afar. He would know if I had betrayed his generosity."
"At first I cared nothing about his 'generosity'," she admitted. "I swore to him then that I would use whatever he had 'given' me to destroy him. He looked at me for a few seconds, then nodded. 'That sounds reasonable,' was all he said, Mal. And went right back to showing me how to use all these new abilities I had."
"Seems awful serene about it," Mal mused. "Like as not, he knew you couldn't do it."
"I don't think so," Neera shook her head. "I think he didn't care, one way or another, Mal. Like he almost hoped I could do it. We never spoke of it again, and by the time my training was finished, I had forgotten it, anyway. He had shown me a whole new life, a whole new reason for living. So, when he left the jungle, I followed him." Mal digested all that slowly, considering.
"Anyway," Neera spoke suddenly, as if clearing away the words she'd just spoken. "My senses are very strong. I can see, smell, hear things that no mortal can. Physically I'm much stronger than several men. I don't know just how strong, to be honest. There's been very little I haven't managed to do, over the years."
"I haven't aged, I've never been sick, I've even kept my girlish figure," she laughed, and Mal's eye brows rose at that.
"Ain't nothin' 'girlish' 'bout that figure, woman," he growled, and Neera felt her face heat. "You're all woman. Creepifyin', immortal killer woman, maybehaps, but woman none-the-less. And I like you just how you are."
"I'm very glad to hear that, lover," Neera purred.
For a while, at least, Mal forgot about all the worries he had heaped upon himself.
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Jayne rose from the bed, throwing on a robe and exiting the cabin he shared with River. Athena wasn't a liner, by any stretch of the imagination. But she'd been designed to carry a larger crew than was needed, and nearly a platoon of troops to be used for boarding and inspecting freighters. So, even with everyone on board, the ship roomy. And quiet.
He walked to the bridge, his movements silent. He noted that the ship was still on the night cycle, the lights turned down. When he reached the bridge, he nodded to the crewman on watch. The startled man started to rise.
"Keep your seat, Rob," he smiled. "I'm just restless. Thought I'd take a look at things."
"Of course, milord," Rob bowed slightly, then returned to his seat, monitoring the various readouts before him. Jayne took a seat at the Nav console, and punched up their track. Next, he punched up the track for Artemis, and finally Apollo. Everyone was making good time, he saw, though Artemis was slightly off schedule. He knew that one of the ships had been delayed in order for the Cross family to board, so he didn't worry about that.
What did worry him was that something like holding a liner would attract attention. A lot of attention, possibly. And that was bad. Brockman wasn't the sort to give up, and he wanted those children badly. He'd already sent one team out to collect them, and Mal and Neera had discovered there were at least two others.
Mal's idea to have everyone meet him at different points had been a good one. But there was always a trail to follow. Where, it wondered, would it lead Brockman's people? He pondered that question for some time, mulling over the possibilities.
Without warning, he reached out and started punching co-ordinates into the Nav console. Rob was startled as the auto-pilot began making a course correction.
"Milord!" he cried, sitting up straighter, trying to make sense of the sudden bank of flashing lights and beeping noises.
"Ignore it," Jayne smiled. "It's just a course change I programed in. Let Willie know when she relieves you. Tell her to call me if she has any questions. And I don't want anyone calling ahead, either," he added suddenly. "I want us undetected."
"Aye, milord," Rob nodded. He didn't question his boss as some might.
Jayne left the bridge, the beginnings of a plan swirling in the midst of his mind. But first, he had a call to make.
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"Morning, Prim," Simon spoke quietly as he entered the galley. Prim looked up sharply.
"Morning?" he asked, shocked. Had he sat here working all night?
"Early morning," Simon nodded, "but Morning, none-the-less. It's six am on Londinium." Prim nodded. The ship's clock was set to Londinium time.
"I had no idea it was so late," he murmured, gathering his notes. Inara would be unhappy. . . .
"Good morning, Primeter," Inara spoke into his ear, her voice still husky from sleep. She kissed him softly on the cheek before making her way toward the prep area of the galley. "Would you like some breakfast?"
"Inara, I'm sorry I didn't. . .I mean, I got caught up in something I was doing and didn't notice the time."
"That's all right," she smiled sweetly. "I know you were busy. I came and looked in on you, when I woke up and you weren't there. You seemed too deep in thought for me to want to intrude. I trust you've worked out your problem?"
"Partly, perhaps," he smiled in relief. Inara Serra was a unique woman, to say the least. "Partly." He walked over to the cooking area, embracing her from behind.
"Good," she turned to him, rising on her toes to kiss him lightly. "Breakfast?"
"Please."
Inara turned back to the stove, busying herself with preparations, as Kaylee walked in, her usual cherry self.
"Mornin' all!" she gushed, wrapping herself to Simon, kissing him soundly. "How we doin'?" She was wearing a pair of coveralls, they all noted. Something she hadn't done in a while.
"We're doing fine, Lady Frye," Prim smiled at her. "We should be there in three days time, if all goes well."
"Great!" she bubbled. "Im'a go have a look at the engine room on this barge," she informed everyone. "Call me when we're ready to eat?"
"Of course, mei mei," Inara smiled indulgently. Kaylee would never be happy unless she had something to tinker with. Kaylee smiled, kissing Simon once more, then left, humming.
"She is perpetually happy, it seems," Prim smiled. Simon and Inara both nodded.
"A ray of sunshine, on a cloudy day," Simon smiled. Prim noted the wistfulness in the young physician's voice, and smiled again.
"You're a very fortunate man, Master Tam."
"You haven't done bad, yourself," Simon smirked, standing. "I'm going to check on the children. I'll be back for breakfast." As he left, Inara was glad she was turned away, lest he, and Prim, see the furious blush spreading across he face at Simon's compliment.
"No," Prim told the doctor's departing back as he turned back to Inara. "I haven't done bad, at all."
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"Ain't no one in this town knows nothin', 'cept that two ships landed out near the Bellows' place. Some heard gunfire, but out here, folks tend to mind their own knittin', so they ain't right sure what it was about."
"Far as anywhere they mighta got to," the man continued, "all anyone knew was that Bellows had a sister on Idlewild. Don't rightly know her name, but knew she was there. Married some official there. Shouldn't be too hard to track her down, was you of a mind to do it," he concluded.
Wilson listened to the report, nodding absently. He hadn't really expected to find out anything useful, but he was careful. Never knew when a tidbit would come in handy. They had found Peters' ship, and his dead crew, on Bellows' farm. Complete dead end.
"All right," he announced, standing. "Let's get in the air. I wanna check and see have any of the other people on these here lists gone missin'. If they have, we'll see can we pick up a trail." The others nodded, and went to their posts. Wilson watched them go, thinking.
He'd started where he was told, now he'd do things his way. To his way of thinking, all of these people were heading somewhere. Probably the same somewhere. He needed to know where that was, and get there in time to catch at least some of them. They'd tell him where the rest were.
"Head for Idlewild," he ordered over the com, as the ship broke atmo. One of the families in question was from there. For some reason, it just felt right.
"Take maybe two days, boss," the pilot informed him. "Setting course now."
"Shave some o' that off, you can," he ordered back. "I wanna get there soon's we can. Got a feeling there's somethin' waitin' on us there."
"You got it."
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Time is different in the black. It seems to pass more slowly than when dirtside, and yet faster as well. A paradox that all spacers know far too well. The endless waiting for a ship to make planet fall are spent working, exercising, sleeping, gaming.
Jayne and River chose to work out. They sparred with one another, constantly honing their skills. The coming battle would be against others like themselves, which meant that their swords would see use, this time.
"Is your hunch still strong?" River asked, as the two stopped for a drink of water, and to rest.
"Yes," Jayne nodded. "I don't know why, but I'm sure we need to be near Idlewild when Mal gets there. There's no real reason for it, that I can see. He has Neera, and Jerl McCann's team, as well as himself, Zoe, and the crew of the Artemis. And yet. . . ." He trailed off, frustrated by his inability to put his feeling into words.
"And yet, the nagging remains," River nodded, understanding his dilemma. "I know how that is. Will we be there before Mal?"
"Probably," he nodded. "They had a delay on Hera, so we're up on them by a few hours. And once Willie took the helm, I had her increase our speed. If Mal stays on schedule from here on out, then we should get there at the same time, if not a bit before hand."
"Good."
"You ain't said anything about my surprise," he looked at her, eyes dancing.
"He'll be furious on the outside," River grinned. "But I think he'll appreciate it. And it makes a nice peace offering."
"I need to make a peace offering?" he asked, eye brows raising.
"You think so," River grinned again. "And it's a nice thing to do."
"Remind me to have a camera going. I want to get a capture of his reaction."
"All that work to make amends, and you destroy it with mischief," River shook her head, clucking in mock disapproval. Jayne smiled at that.
"Keeps like interesting."
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"Artemis you are cleared to land," Mal heard over the speaker.
"Thank you, Mac control," the pilot replied over the wave. He turned to Mal. "Better take a seat, Captain, we're heading in." Mal nodded, and took the Nav seat. He watched as the pilot skillfully entered atmo over McIntosh. He wasn't as good as Wash had been, but, neither was anyone else. Not even River.
As the ship steadied out, he headed aft, where he found everyone assembled in the galley. This ship had an actual room used for this sort of thing, but habits died hard, and this was an old habit.
"Right," Mal said, looking around. "We're here to fetch five families o' folk. You got there sheets, includin' captures of the young'uns in questions. They're new ones, took from when we rescued'em from Blue Sun. Or whoever the hell it is," he added with a grimace.
"We ain't takin' any chances here. We had a good run o' luck on Hera, but we ain't taking that for granted this go round. Dong Ma?" He looked at each member in turn, making sure they understood. All nodded in agreement.
"Set-up's the same as before. Watch yourselves."
"We're down and locked, Captain," the pilot called over the com. Zoe hit the switch beside her.
"Aye. Keep her hot."
"Will do," he promised. She looked to Mal.
"Let's go," he ordered.
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Things went smoothly for once, with all the ships docking on time, and all the families being accounted for smoothly. Mal felt a great deal of unease about that, for no other reason than he never had it easy. Ever.
"We're good, sir," Zoe told him, as she and Julio escorted the last family on board.
"No one following?" he asked, eyes scanning around the ship.
"Not that we noticed," she shook her head. "And we would'a noticed, sir."
"Right," Mal nodded. He trusted Zoe more than anyone. "Let's get gone, then." He activated the ramp, watching as it closed smoothly and quietly.
Must be nice, he thought, amused. He had grumbled about not using Serenity, but this ship really was better suited for this kind of thing. Serenity was a good ship, but she was aging, and the last year or two in particular hadn't been kind. And she was unarmed.
"Still home, though," he reminded himself, looking around. This ship would never be home. Smiling, he started for the passenger area. Time to let his new arrivals know what was happening.