Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect or Serenity nor am I making a profit from this.
Chapter 12
Unknown Location SerenityMal coughed as he pushed himself upright. He had managed to land back in the gunnery chair and not break anything. Bruised the hell out of, yes. He thought tapping the headset.
"Tika?" he tried. "Tika are you there?" he tried again. "Zoë?" Mal groaned as he got to his feet. The ship was dark and emergency lighting had kicked in bathing the ship in red light.
He climbed the ladder down and paused to open the hatch to the belly turret, he was surprised at what he found.
"What in the holy sphincter of the universe?" he asked not believing what his eyes were showing him.
In the gunnery seat was Cheyenne's cat that had cables running into the targeting system.
It was currently upside down and not looking pleased with being tossed around.
"You know what, never mind. Just get your fuzzy ass out of there and stay close as we might have to do something." Mal said and stomped down the corridor ignoring the "Meow" that followed him.
XX
Mal got to the bridge found Tika scrambling over controls fighting to get the ship under control. Zoë was on the deck a trickle of blood from the head wound where she banged it off the console.
"Status?" Mal said helping his first mate to her feet.
"We took a hit as we entered the relay." Zoë reported.
"The bosh'tets humped us hard." Tika reported. "We entered off course, there's no way to know where or when we'll revert to normal space." Tika said. "I need power."
Mal nodded and motioned for Zoë to sit. "I'll do it."
He rushed back down and paused. "Tylee?" He yelled as he got close to the darkened engine room.
"Tylee you in here?" he called and tapped his omni-tool to eject a light sphere that bathed a circle of pale blue light around him for fifteen feet.
Sparks were seen from several hatches and a small fire had already been put out by the ships anti-fire systems.
"Tylee, by the Buddha answer me!" Mal called out.
A weak cough gave him a general direction. "O-over here." Her voice called and he found her on the deck.
"You alright there?" he asked.
"Just got shaken around and the smoke was thick until the emergency system kicked in." Tylee said and accepted his hand.
"Why aren't the emergency lights on in here?" Mal asked.
"The hit we took shorted out a couple of systems." Tylee said.
"We need power lil' Tylee. Tika needs thrusters to level us out and line us up so we can revert to normal space."
Tylee looked at him, "We entered the relay out of control? Oh fuck me." The mechanic cursed and started using her omni-tool to scan the damage and muttering what she would need to do.
"Can I do anything?" Mal asked.
"Get out of the way." Tylee said as she opened a panel and started to remove burnt out wires and cables.
Mal nodded. "Thrusters first. And maybe make sure life support doesn't die on us, I do fancy breathing after all."
Tylee ignored him as she pulled tools and with one clamped in her teeth went to work.
XX
Mal's next stop was the passenger cabins and checked on the Drell. "I am unharmed captain." Her vibrating voice answered. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Not at the moment other than offering to help our mechanic in hurrying repairs. I offered but got the feelin' she was thinking of shooting me."
A soft smile touched the Drell's lips. "Or you can scan for any leaks while the systems are down."
Sienna nodded and went to the cargo hold to get a spare omni-tool.
Mal's next stop was the infirmary. He spotted Lawson and her sister huddled together on the couch.
"You ladies alright?" Mal asked.
Miranda nodded and the captain noticed the younger Lawson was unconscious. Spotting his looks she explained, "I had to sedate her, she started to panic that Cerberus was going to take her back. She'll be fine when it wears off."
Mal nodded. "Tylee's working on getting things up and running and Sienna has started to scan for any hull fractures. I can't remember if I ever gave the emergency speech to you, so you better keep masks handy incase there is a hull rupture."
Miranda looked at him, "The damage is that bad?"
"Not really, but we did take a hard hit just entering the relay. I learned to cover all bases."
He started to leave when a voice caught him by surprise as it was from the drugged out Orianna Lawson in a near whisper. "She will aid you for a cause."
Mal turned to see the younger Lawson out of it again and he shared a look with Miranda who looked surprised that her sister had been conscious enough to speak.
XX
Mal spoke with the Asari thru the door as the power was out and the door was magnetically sealed to secure the shuttle and the captain had no desire to use the emergency release to force it open until it was time.
Returning to the bridge he entered just as the consoles flickered to life and Tika gave a slight cheer. "We've got thrusters and the other systems are coming back online."
Zoë looked up from another station, "Damage report coming in now sir."
Mal looked over her shoulder. "Its not as bad as I thought." He said. "Tika revert us to normal space, lets find out where we are."
"Lets hope we don't come apart." The Quarian pilot muttered as her hands danced over the controls.
Serenity shook as it exited through a relay and as soon as they saw stars the controls popped and sizzled and once more Serenity was dark as the power went out.
"Yeah…this is better." Mal muttered knowing his first mate and pilot shot him dirty looks.
XX
Citadel, Earth Embassy"Captain Anderson."
David Anderson turned and saw an Asari standing there.
"Yes?"
"I was told you're a friend if Malcolm Shepard." The Asari said.
Anderson thought of the last time the two had spoke. "I…I am." He said wishing they had talked, he knew Mal hadn't been at fault but the death of Cheyenne had not been Shepard's fault but the loss of his goddaughter had been hard and he had taken it out on the one person who he shouldn't have.
"A friend intercepted a report that the Serenity had been attacked entering a relay and possibly destroyed." The Asari said. "My employer has sent ships along their last known location."
"What do you need me to do?" Anderson asked without hesitation.
The Asari took a breath and spoke the words she had been instructed to impart.
XX
NormandyDillon Hunt sat staring at the report. He had yet been able to get the information on Virmire. STG had sent a team and all he had was a vague report forwarded from the council and he didn't want his team going I blind like it they had on Therum and Feros with the Geth and the Thorian.
His door chime sounded, "Enter." He called out grateful from reading the same reports again with little or no results.
Kaiden Alenko stepped in, "Sir we have an encrypted message for you at the map and Joker wants to know should he make the jump to Virmire."
Hunt nodded. "Thanks Kaiden. You saved me from more reports." Standing Dillon closed the computer and adjusted his uniform jacket and joined the biotic lieutenant.
"The reports that good sir?" Kaiden asked with a half smile.
"Pieces of me long for the first days off boot camp and another wants to travel back and never accept promotions."
Kaiden chuckled.
"Of course I could assign a lieutenant to do a majority of my paperwork." Hunt said as he gave the biotic a sidelong glance.
Kaiden coughed, "I would suggest getting an ensign as your aide sir. I suck at reports."
They climbed the stairs nodding at the marines stationed there. Hunt activated the computer and looked at the giant star map. "Joker take us to Virmire." He saw the encrypted message and seeing it wasn't from the council or anyone that should have this frequency logged it to his private terminal for previewing later.
Dillon Hunt unaware of waited him should have read the message.
XX
SerenityThe ship Serenity drifted lifelessly without power. Smoke came from where the ship had taken the hit and some of the battle damage glowed from residual heat.
Aboard the freighter the passengers and crew were struggling to get systems working.
In the cargo hold which had lights powered from the mule Mal sighed as he closed an access panel to see Miranda Lawson waiting for him. He held up a hand signaling for her to wait and he tapped the com-link built into his omni-tool.
"Tylee, panel three in the cargo holds T-section is good."
"Then the shorts are in the aft sections. We'll need to suit up and check the exterior sections." The mechanics voice came back. "I'll get my kit, meet me by the airlock Captain." The line went silent and Mal turned to look at the woman waiting.
"Ms. Lawson?"
"No injuries to report other than some scrapes and bruises from moving around in the dark and transition to normal space. Stress levels at what is expected." She reported. "I sure Ms. Scott has informed you that with the engine down the air systems aren't running."
"Yeah, she put it in captain dummy speak when I asked about the backups and in terms a brain dead Vorcha could understand. Blew out the something-or-other compression coil. Without it we're dead in the water."
Miranda crossed her arms, "What about a distress signal?"
"No power, hence the power lines running to the mule." Mal said, "and the shuttles I have waiting because if these patches don't work then we use them to abandon ship."
"I wasn't aware they had the ability." Miranda said.
"They can do interplanetary or exit a relay, they just have the ability to use one by their lonesome."
Mal saw her look and tried to be comforting, "If we can't fix her then I'll divide ya'll amongst the shuttles to the nearest inhabitable planet and launch a beacon."
"I notice you aren't including yourself on the shuttle Shepard." Lawson said a tone in her voice.
Mal shrugged. "I'll nuke that bridge when its time." He walked away not seeing her look.
XX
"Have I mentioned that I hate space-walking?" Mal said as they worked on the blasted section, more Tylee worked while he handed her tools.
"Once or twice," she answered "I thought you were a marine?"
"Was." Mal answered "And as a bad ass marine I could space walk, shoot people and chew gum all at the same time and was told I could pull off a damn fine salute."
Tylee giggled as she used the hand cutter to remove damaged section of the hull.
"What's the verdict Ms. Scott?" Mal asked as she peered in and checked systems. "As Grandma Kaywinnit we are well and truly humped. Without the coil even spit wiring this won't do much than give you a short burst of power before it all blows out and explodes leaving us in vacuum."
Mal sighed "And we just had her shined."
"I'd say feed those Cerberus sleezoids to an exhaust of one of those big Asari cruisers." The usually cheerful and friendly mechanic said stepping back from the damaged hull.
"I hear you on that front lil' Tylee." Mal agreed. Activating the com-link "Zoë, gather everyone not already there in the hold its time to talk about that old time honored tradition."
"Okay sir, but where are we going to get a midget out here?"
Mal snickered, "Not that tradition…wait you have the tutu and unicycle?"
"I'll gather everyone in the cargo hold." There was a click as the line was deactivated.
"Zoë?" Mal asked. "Zoë? Come on, why the hell would you…" he started and saw Tylee looking at him.
"What tradition are you hiding captain?"
"Never you mind lil' Tylee. I'll have Zoë explain it when you're a lot older and I am well and truly drunk, until then just put a pin in it as my ol' Nana Shepard said."
Tylee sighed, "But Capn' I'm an adult and do adult things!"
"Allow me my delusions that you are all sweetness and fluffy Tribbles and wear pink frilly dresses, just a bit longer." Mal said a pained tone in his voice.
"But Captain I haven't worn frills since I was five. I am a sexually mature and active woman who happens to like sex even though the last few months has been nothin' between my knees that wasn't powered by batteries."
"Gah! I don't need to know that, why in all holy would you share that with me?" Mal asked in a panicked tone,
Tylee laughed and entered the hatch.
XX
"So that is where we stand." Mal told everyone.
Miranda who sat with her sister on a crate asked, "Could we cannibalize the shuttles for the needed parts?"
It was Tylee who answered "While we could use some of the parts, the part we need is unique to the ship design and without it Serenity won't go no matter what we manage to fix."
"And we need the shuttles to get to the only in planet in system we were able scan that can support life." Mal said. "Gather what you can in food, weapons and other supplies. Zoë will assign the shuttles. Tylee I need you to fix two beacons after you get your things to the shuttles."
The captain turned when Miranda spoke, "And what are you planning Captain Shepard?"
"Pack my crap and say goodbye to my ship if that is alright with you Ms. Lawson?" Mal answered not turning to face her.
XX
Beacon Message:
This is Captain Malcolm Shepard to those that find this beacon. My ship a Hotaru class freighter named Serenity sustained damage entering the Mass Relay. The damage while not severe damaged parts we didn't have and were forced to abandon ship. Our scans before the power failed showed an unknown world that is suitable to support life. Enclosed is the date and transponder codes.
If you're friendly come save our asses, if your not this message isn't meant for you and know we're armed and seriously not above shooting first.
XX
AN: Uh-oh. We all know how Virmire goes. Who will rescue our crew of Serenity? What about Noveria? Side note, anyone hear about the sequel or remake of Goonies? Where's ME4? Or the Mass Effect movie? Anyone buy an Xbox One how is it? Worth the $400 bucks?