Spartan's Quest - Chapter 29
Author owns no rights to Firefly, and writes only for his own amusement.
"And that's that," Jayne finished, outlining what he had done. Mal studied him for a very long moment, taking the time to look at the leather wallet that Jayne had handed him.
"Marshall Malcolm Reynolds," Mal said it aloud finally. Shaking his head, he looked up at Jayne with a bemused smile.
"Who'da thunk it?" he asked.
"No one," Jayne laughed. 'Sure as hell not me ever." Both shared a laugh at that.
"I'll give you Hecate," Jayne told him, "along with a dozen of my best men. And Jerl McCann's team. That should be enough to deal with whatever you find."
"Hecate?" Mal asked, eyebrows raised. "Just how many o' them ships you got, Jayne?"
"That's the last," Jayne frowned. "Since I met you, and you found out who I am, I seem to be running out of everything. Funny, 'fore I knew you, Mal, I had plenty of everything."
"I'll take good care of 'er," Mal promised, smiling. "She got a crew?"
"Yep, and is all stocked, ready to go. You'll be leaving Serenity here again?"
"No," Mal shook his head. "Not this time. Only me and Neera are goin' with this. Which reminds me, I need to find a couple trustworthy souls to be a help to Zoe. Think Julio'll be stayin' with her, by the way," he added.
"I wondered about that," Jayne smiled. "Zoe?" Mal nodded.
"Well, he's a good man, Mal," Jayne promised.
"I already knew that," Mal assured him. "And I think he's good for Zoe, tell ya the truth. Anyway, she'll keep Serenity movin', keep our contacts up. Reminds me o' somethin' else, by the way."
"What?" Jayne asked.
"Reckon the girl can stay on with you and River for a while?" Mal asked. "I don't want her out in space 'thout me an' Neera, and I sure ain't aimin' to take her along on this ugly business."
"Course she can," Jayne replied, as if insulted. "River can likely help her with her talent anyway. And we'll see to settin' up a school curriculum for her. One she can take along when you get back. She can just check in by wave with her work. Kinda like home school. I don't want her off in no school where anyone can get hand to her."
"Thanks Jayne," Mal didn't quite sigh with relief. Jayne had seen the same problems he had.
"No problem," Jayne assured him. Just then the sound of a ship descending onto the pad cut into their conversation.
"If I'm not mistaken, that's gonna be the future mother-in-law," Jayne informed Mal. "So I need to head out. You stayin' a while?"
"No," Mal shook his head. "Faster we get out, quicker we can see to that den o' snakes. I already spoke to 'Tross, so we're good. Soon as the ship is loaded, we're headin' out." Jayne nodded, and pressed a buzzer on his desk.
"My Lord?" Hiram's voice replied almost at once.
"Jerl McCann is arriving shortly on Athena. I want to see him as soon as he hits the ground, and he is to inform his team that they will be leaving again almost immediately. And advise the crew of the Hecate that Captain Reynolds will boarding shortly, and they will be departing ASAP."
"At once, sir."
"Well, Mal, I'd say good luck, but I don't wanna jinx you."
"Yeah," Mal sighed. "Look, Jayne, this is like to be ugly, you know that, right?"
"I do," Jayne nodded. "Just get it done, and let me deal with the rest. And don't get dead. River'll kill me. And Kaylee'll help."
"Do my best," Mal chuckled. "Take care."
"You take care," Jayne shot back, shaking Mal's hand. "I'll be here where it's safe."
"Is there anywhere you ain't safe?" Mal asked.
"Here, if you get killed."
"Hello, Mother," River smiled warmly as Regan Tam walked down the ramp of Athena. She went at once to her daughter, embracing her warmly.
"Thank you, River," she whispered softly. It was obvious that she had been crying, but her tears were gone now, and she had a determined look on her face.
"I'll have someone take your bags up Lady Tam's suite, Milady," a uniformed man said quietly. River nodded, and guided her mother toward the house. Jayne was walking to meet them.
"Mrs. Tam, welcome to our home," he said formally.
"Thank you. . .er. . .what do I. . .?"
"Janos if fine," Jayne assured her. "Or whatever you feel comfortable with, My Lady."
"Janos then," Regan nodded. "Thank you, Janos."
"Let's get you settled, and then you can have the grand tour," Jayne suggested. River nodded in agreement.
"Oh, there are so many people on Osiris that will be envious of me, getting to see this place," Regan laughed. The sound of laughter was a welcome one to River. She had not known quite what shape her mother would be in when she arrived. Seeing her daughter's look of concern, Regan smiled.
"Don't worry, dear," she told River firmly. "I'm not as fragile as I might look. Your father and I have had a good life. If he's willing to throw that away, then I firmly intend to go on living mine. To spite him, if nothing else," she added with another laugh,
"Well said," Jayne nodded.
"Where is Mal?" River asked.
"Already set to leave," Jayne informed her. "He said he'd seen you already. Speaking of which, let me have a word with Jerl, and then we can go."
"Hey Neera!" several people called as she and Mal walked through the hangar to where Hecate sat, preparing to lift off. She waved and relied in kind, smiling.
"Good to be home?" Mal asked, smiling.
"Wherever you are is home," Neera surprised him. His look must have given his surprise away to her.
"I've lived a long time, Mal," Neera shrugged. "Home has always been wherever I lay down at night. I know most everyone here, but I never let them get that close to me. Hurts too much later on." She shrugged.
"What about me?" Mal asked, concern in his voice.
"It is what it is," she shrugged again. "I love you more than I feat the pain of losing you. Not so much different from the rest of you, now is it?" She smiled.
"I didn't mean it like that," Mal said softly. She stopped, and place her hand on his face.
"I know you didn't," she smiled lightly. "I was simply being honest with you. You grow on a girl, Mal. I haven't felt this way in a long, long time. A very long time," she added with a chuckle. "I like it. And, it's enough, for now, that I can live with what comes later. Does that make sense?"
"Perfect sense," Mal assured her. "And I'm glad you feel that way." He took her hand in his.
"Let's go check out our new 'home'."
"This one?" Prim asked, as he and Inara stopped in front of one of the small houses on the grounds. Inara smiled and nodded.
"Yes. It's a very comfortable place. I think it will make a lovely home."
"Very well," Prim nodded. "We'll have it decorated as you wish. We can have a crew start. . . ."
"I want us to do it," Inara broke in gently. "Together. Let the work crews make sure everything is in working order, and good repair, of course. But I want you and I to decorate it together." Prim looked at her for a moment, a bit surprised at the earnest sounding request.
"Whatever you wish to be done, will be done, Inara," he promised. "If it means so much to you. . . ."
"It does," she said at once. "I want it to be a home, our home, not just a house. One that we worked and made together." Prim smiled in spite of himself.
"I'd like that too, Inara. Very much, in fact. We will start as soon as you are ready."
"Have the crews check the house tomorrow," she replied. "I've already looked inside. We'll go into town tomorrow while they work, and start looking at furnishings, and decor."
"I look forward to it," Prim said, leaning forward to kiss her lightly on the lips. "Very forward indeed."
"Hey 'Nara!" the moment was shattered by the ever cheerful yell of Kaylee Frye. "Ya'll aim ta live here? That's great! We took the place next door! We'll be neighbors!"
"I'm looking forward to it," Prim sighed, then 'oofed' as Inara's elbow found his ribs.
"That's wonderful mei mei!" Inara replied, smiling beautifully.
The Artemis glided through her orbit around Beaumonde yet again. It was a long shot, Hawkins knew, but this was the one place that Wilson had been tied to in at least a semi-permanent fashion. What better place to lay low than one where his presence wasn't just usual, but expected?
"Anything?" he asked. His sensor officer shook his head.
"Not yet, sir," came the reply. "But, we're not even a third of the way through the survey. Doing it passively and with remote's takes a lot longer to do accurately."
"Accuracy and stealth are important," Hawkins shrugged. "Thus we accept the slower work. Stay at it."
"Aye, sir."
Hawkins left the bridge, making a round through the small ship. He would have to make a decision soon. If Wilson was here, then he had to decided if he could take the man out. He had only a dozen security troops, under the command of one of Lord Janos' personal security team. Wilson was reputed to have three times that many on his vessel, Lucky Seven. Hawkins doubted that the men on board could handle it unaided, at least without taking unacceptable casualties of their own.
If, on the other hand, Lucky Seven were to break atmo, then Artemis could destroy the other ship without even being at general quarters. Unsporting, to be sure, but Hawkins wasn't a sporting man. He was a warrior. To him, a fair fight meant that he killed his opponent without his opponent ever knowing he was being targeted.
Wilson wasn't likely to do that, in any case. The loss of two-thirds of his forces had to have rattled the man. If he was here, then he was lying low, licking his wounds, and trying to gather intel on who or what had taken out his ships. Which meant that Artemis would have to stay here, on guard, until Lord Janos could assemble a large enough force to take the man on the ground.
His ground. Never a good idea, Hawkins felt, attacking an opponent on ground of their choosing.
Needs must when the Devil drives, he thought to himself. No sense in borrowing trouble until they knew if the man was even here.
Wilson was on Beaumonde.
"Where in the hell is that worthless whore?" Wilson asked himself through clenched teeth. She knew the rules. She was never to leave the farm. Ever. When she got back. . . .
He stopped that thought as he looked around him. What was wrong with this picture? As he went from room to room, it finally hit him. He went to the closet, ripping the doors open. Nothing.
She was gone? She knew he would track her down, didn't she? Knew he would kill her for daring to leave? Where could she have gone? He went out the back door, looking around the yard behind the house. His eyes fell on a recently dug grave, with a simple cross. He scowled, walking over there.
The cross had a single word on it; Evelyn. So. . . .
Well, I knew she knew better than to just up and leave, Wilson mentally shrugged. Wonder who buried her, and took her stuff?
But in the end, he didn't care, and didn't pursue it. Had he gone into town, and asked, he would have found that no one had buried her. And that she had taken on with a small freighter as a cook over two months ago.
There was nothing in that grave but a few large rocks, and bags of dirt. Evelyn might not have been the smartest woman in the 'verse, but she wasn't stupid. The money she'd received from her 'visitors' had been enough to outfit herself, buy new idents, and have plenty left besides. Evelyn was dead, and buried.
Wilson, not caring enough to find out, would never realize the enormity of his mistake.
Mal watched from the bridge until Hecate cleared orbit, and set course for Byalye. Once that was done, and satisfied that the ship's crew knew their business (not that he'd really doubted it) he headed aft, to see Jerl McCann.
"Captain," Jerl nodded politely as Mal joined the other at the galley table.
"Jerl," Mal nodded in reply. "Sorry you have ta head right back out like this, but I gotta say, I'm glad you folks is along on this one, just the same."
"Plenty of time to rest before we get there, Captain," Jerl shrugged. "Lord Janos said you'd explain once we were en route."
Mal quietly laid the problem out before McCann, explaining in detail how things had developed.
"And so, here we are," he finished. McCann looked at Mal for moment.
"How confident are you in the girl's ability?" he asked. Mal blinked at that, never having thought it through.
"Well, as to that, she ain't been wrong up to this point," Mal said after a moment's thought. "And, what we saw, and heard, seems to back up her. . .feeling. We all had an uneasy feelin' 'bout it, if ya know what I mean, 'fore she said anything." McCann nodded.
"Never ignore your instincts," he said approvingly. "So what's the plan?"
"Well, I figure we'll set them up fair and square," Mal replied. "I don't want to just go breakin' down the door, assumin' we know what's what. So, I thought we'd head back to Warhol, let you and someone else meet up with the hundan what set us up to start with, and take on a cargo for the same folks. Since we didn't make delivery, he'll like as not have something to send their way."
"We set down, and see what happens. If they just off load and pay us, then we mayhap assume that Amanda was wrong, and, happens we can't find a reason to do anything, we leave, easy-peasy."
"If they attack us," Mal went on, "then we can safely assume that Amanda had the right of it, and we do as needed."
"Good plan," McCann nodded approval. "I think we can handle them just fine, unless they have a small army, or heavy weapons. The weapons on the Hecate will help. One question."
"Just the one?" Mal smiled.
"Rules of engagement," McCann asked. Mal considered that before answering.
"If this is what we think, I want them out of business. Happens we can arrest any of them, we'll take'em back to stand to trial. If not, then we put paid on their account for good and all. Works?"
"Absolutely."