Chapter Seventeen: Battlefield
Later, Simon gathered the crew to discuss a lead. They sat around the kitchen in a solemn calm. Simon clutched Kaylee's hand for comfort and strength, and even Zoe and Jayne sat close enough together to bump elbows each time they moved. Mal stood at the head of the table and swallowed his pain. This wasn't right. He should be sitting with River, and they should be talking about where to have their next picnic.
"When I first rescued River, I had help from a small group. They used to be Alliance a long time ago. The leader of the group maintains strong connections with the Alliance, and she uses her informants to help people like me. I don't know much else about them, but I managed to find her. I told her that we needed her help, and she is willing to give us information and possibly assistance. It comes at a high price. It would wipe out all the money I have, and it would not be enough. I would need the rest of you to help pay for it."
"You know that you can have every bit of my money, sweetie," Kaylee assured him with a bright smile.
Zoe glanced at Jayne, and he nodded. She gave Simon a warm expression. "We're both in."
"Don't bother askin' me. You all know the answer," Mal said softly.
Simon breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I'll tell her that we'll pay. She said that she's on Paquin. I'll get the details of the meet as soon as possible."
"You do that. We'll head for Heinlein. Hide out close-like. The protostar should temporarily mask our signal for a bit and we'll be close for the meet. I'll set the course. Everyone else, get your money ready."
Kaylee looked at him strangely. "The protostar should mask our signal for a spell? Where'd you learn that, Cap'in?"
"He listens real close to River," Zoe provided.
Mal glared. "Shouldn't you be kissin' on your boyfriend or something?"
She turned pink as Jayne and Kaylee snickered. Amusedly, Mal left for the bridge and set the course. Simon got in touch with his contact and set the appointment. Thankfully, she was free to meet them in at a race track in only a few hours. The ship kept close to the dwarf star and waited. Mal's quick thinking, which was completely based on a trick River pulled a year earlier during a hot getaway, blocked their signal and River Tam's search. It was only a matter of time before she would able to zero in on their location.
"This is the race track," Simon announced as he, Kaylee, and Mal moved in for the meet. "She said to meet her in the stands. Section 234, row J."
Mal nodded and they went for it. He left the lovebirds, though they still denied it, on Serenity. Since they were both great fighters, they'd be able to thwart any attacks that might come. Kaylee found the correct row and they gathered on the steps.
"What's she look like?" Kaylee questioned.
Simon paused to think. "She's petite. Brunette. Young. Hair always in a neat bun. Very put together."
"Ain't nobody like that here. The rich folks are in the box to bet on their horses," Mal grumbled at the idea that this could be a false lead.
Then, they heard the voice. "If it isn't the loving brother!"
She had been in front of them the whole time. Simon didn't even recognize her. She had deep lines in her face that was mostly hidden by a ragged sun hat. Her once tiny frame was replaced with bulging muscles and hardy bulk. The clothes didn't match and were covered with holes and dirt. Apparently, life as a horse farmer had changed her quite a lot. She stood and extended her rough hand to Simon. They shook and all sat down.
"Interesting place for a meet," Mal commented quietly.
"Please. Nobody will suspect you giving me money here. I have a winning horse in that race. Besides, these folks are all too focused on their bids. You have the money?" she questioned quietly as the announcer prepared to start the race.
Simon held the suitcase open to show her the money. "It's all there. You'll get it after we talk."
"Fair enough. I did some digging. You aren't going to like it. Since we got her out, they've made some changes to the program. Somehow, they found a way to expedite the training. There are no safe words anymore. In fact, they don't plan to deactivate the girls at any time. The Alliance will use their assassins to win the war, and after that they'll use them to maintain control. To my contact's knowledge, you can't change the programming."
Mal and Kaylee were lost to their emotional thoughts. Simon held it together. "I was able to do it before. I found the right medications and we got her back."
"But, you saved her before her training was complete. That's the only way it worked."
"There has to be something we can do," Mal argued.
She sighed and took off her hat to reveal frizzy locks. "There is one thing. If you really are her target, she will not stop until you're wiped out. So, you have to stop her first. Either she dies, or you do."
"We ain't killin' her!" Kaylee cried. "She's my sister. My best friend. There's got to be another way."
"If there is, we don't know about it. You're welcome to break into one of the Core bases, but you'll end up dead anyhow. I don't even know what you'd look for."
Simon clung to his suitcase of cash. "If that's all you have to say, I'm not paying you for telling me to kill my sister."
"It's not. Easy, doc. I have something else. It could involve her, but I can't promise anything. The Alliance wants you so badly because they don't want you to share any other secrets. They knew a ship like Serenity would start poking around once the war began, and I know that you did. You found something on the New Independents. What do you know?"
"We know enough," Mal thundered. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Well, you can end the war. There's a third political group that started with the first war. Slowly, it's built followers all over the Verse. We'll kept quiet until we have our time. We're called the Unity. We don't think there should be complete control, but we don't think we should be divided. Every system will have its own government, but they will work together. It's about peace, not destruction. The Unity doesn't fight since it was created by an organization of Buddhist monks. So, the only way we can save this Verse is for the other groups to fall. Expose what you know about the Browncoats and expose the Alliance's Academy. After that, the Unity will swoop in and restore order. Maybe, if you expose the Academy, they'll be forced to deactivate your girl and the rest."
Mal intently stared. "Would you and yours help?"
"We can, but only to a degree. I'll use this money to pay off my informants. They'll get proof of the Academy. It's up to you to get it out there. We would handle it ourselves, but it'd expose our operation and we don't have anything on the Browncoats. That's where you come in. Do you have tangible proof of whatever you know?"
The captain shook his head. "Only what we saw with our own eyes."
"Okay. Then, get some proof and contact me. You can stop by my horse farm. Any cash I have left over from getting the information will be refunded. Together, we'll end this madness."
Simon pushed the suitcase to her. "We'll be in touch."
The crew headed back to Serenity. They filled Jayne and Zoe in on the situation, but Jayne had a very good point. "How 'xactly are we gonna expose everybody with no gorram evidence or ways of sendin' it out there?"
"We go into a battle," Mal declared.
Zoe was shocked. "Sir? A battle?"
"If we can get a capture of the Browncoats sending in the Reavers or get a transmitter on that ship…maybehaps a bug….we'll have proof. Even just a capture of the war might help. Seeing those girls fightin' Reavers that can talk and move in units. Once we got all that, we can find someplace with a big cortex to send it out to everyone."
Kaylee snapped her fingers. "Mr. Universe's moon! If they've wrecked the backup generator, I can fix it up all shiny. If they haven't, even better. We can use it!"
"They might expect that," Mal disputed. "We don't know what's on that moon since we left. The Alliance could of leveled everything. Destroyed it all."
"It's an option, sir. Do you know of anywhere with a system capable of sending a message to everywhere that isn't owned by the Alliance?"
He paused and Simon took Kaylee's hand. "Captain, we have to try."
"Fine. I'll find an active battleground. We need some recording equipment made or stolen. Let's get moving on this. We have a war to end and a pilot to bring home."
They went in different directions. Mal went to the bridge and did some research until he came across Hera, which had been a toehold for the Independents back in his day. They were there fighting once again, and it seemed the bullets started a week ago and hadn't stopped since. There were no reports of Reavers, but it did say that the Alliance was winning. The Reavers would be there any time to tip the odds back in their favor.
He set the course and chose to catch a few hours of sleep along the way. It had been two hours when a proximity alert harshly woke him. He looked to the various screens and realized that it was an Alliance vessel. It was tiny, but it had powerful weapons. Zoe and Jayne came running onto the bridge together to see what was happening.
"Sir?"
"Alliance ship. It's one of the single fliers."
Jayne glanced at the screen. "Gorram…it's gotta be River. They wouldn't send nobody else alone to deal with us. Why ain't she shootin' at the ship?"
"Probably ordered to kill us nice and personal-like. We ain't far from Hera. If we can get down there and in the middle of everything, she'll work on the soldiers and not us. It's her kill. She'll protect us…just to kill everybody on this boat by hand. We gotta get that proof and get it out there 'fore she gets to us. Have everything ready. We'll need a quick exit."
They went to get everything together while Mal kept a close watch on the Alliance ship. When they reached Hera, it didn't take long to find the fighting. No Reavers or young assassins had appeared just yet. As soon as they touched down, Jayne and Zoe went ahead. Mal gave orders to Simon and Kaylee.
"Lock this ship down tight. If anybody tries to get at you, get on a shuttle and get out. We'll deal with it later. Let us know if you need to leave. Remember to lock this ship. Nobody in or out. I'll contact you when we're ready to get onboard."
"Yes, Cap'in. We'll be good," Kaylee promised as she gave him a brief embrace.
He nodded respectfully to Simon and went after Jayne and Zoe. After all that he had gone through in the war, he swore never to set foot on a battlefield again as a soldier. Though he didn't have a side, he was still in the middle of everything. Two years ago, he found something to fight for: revealing Miranda. However, in time, he realized that it was someone to fight for. He'd be a soldier, he'd be anything, as long as it was for her.
In the center of the Alliance line, River Tam stood as if she belonged there. She caught his eye. It had begun.