Chapter 6

When everyone had retreated to the comfort of their bunks and their beds, Mal, River, and Velia were the only ones awake. Velia was starting to feel the assuring sense of control back in her body when he entered the ship, a man in a red spacesuit with caramel skin and a cruel and wicked smile, and her control hanged by a thin string about to snap. He walked to the bridge and smacked the captain with the back of his gun knocking him out. He dragged the Captain's body to the second shuttle and locked the doors, then proceeded in locking each and every other door. River woke Simon with a start, and told him that they were going to have company. River hid in one of the secret compartments in the room and Simon prepared himself with a metallic bat he had purchased a few days ago. When he got to Simon and River's bunk, Simon swung his metallic bat at the intruder but missed, and was rewarded with a punch right on the side of his left eye. Simon fell backwards and the bat flew from his hands. Jubal grabbed Simon by his shirt, pulled him up, and placed the gun to the side of his head saying, "Where's River?"

"What makes you think I'm going to tell to you?"

"You don't want me to kill you, do you?"

"Don't care, just as long as you don't find my wife."

"What? What does River have to do with…? Ohh, now, that's just gross!"

"Didn't ask for your opinion." said Simon.

"Where is she?" he asked but didn't get a respond from him, "Fine, you wanna play, let's play." So Jubal dragged Simon out of the room and slammed him against the wall. Simon slid down the wall and onto the floor, his head thumped against the pain. He knew he would die before he gave her up, "Why are you still looking for her? Alliance stopped."

"Just because Alliance has bigger problems to deal with, don't mean they wouldn't pay to have her back." Jubal sneered, "Now where is she?"

"First shuttle," Simon said, "She likes to watch the stars drift by."

"Thank you," Jubal said but he grabbed Simon and dragged him with him, "Just in case you lied to me, you understand."

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Simon didn't know why he had led him to Velia and Ethan's shuttle; it could've been what River told him about her being helpful in times of need. He didn't know, he just hoped that Velia would be awake and as scary as she was when he was medically inspecting her.

When Jubal forcibly opened the door, he stopped dead in his tracks when red glowing eyes met him, accompanied by a guttural growl. Simon sent a small prayer of thanks to Shepherd's god, but felt Jubal throw him forward before entering himself. He saw the red eyes move fast towards him and snapped the lights on just in time to find a teenage girl pounce on him and sink her sharp teeth on his neck. Velia ripped at the soft skin and watched Jubal slowly drown in his blood as she stood chewing on the flesh she removed. With Jubal dead and her hunger somewhat sated, she finally obtained complete control of the monster inside her.

Mal woke drowsy and his head in pain, as he felt the soft touch of his wife's fingers on his cheek. Mal recovered the gravity of how he got knocked out and snapped his eyes open, trying to find the intruder. He saw his crew, including River and the new couple, but no Jubal. Simon was the one who spoke, saying that Jubal was dead.

Mal was even more confused, and resulted in Zoë leading him to the shuttle where the bloody body of Jubal was still there, a look of pure terror and pain in his eyes. "Good," retorted Mal, "Who killed him like that?"

"Velia." answered Zoë.

"Huh? Where'd the skin from his throat go?"

"She claims she ate it."

"What?" he muttered. He looked around the shuttle; he stared at the worn browncoat Velia was wearing the first day they met, now was when he finally noticed the yellow embroidering of Maddison's initials on the fabric. He looked at the painting, and recognized his sister with a child, and he knew that now was when he had to speak with the new passenger.

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"6 years into the settlers' start on Delrio, their life was peaceful. The settlers broke off from Alliance after their population grew to 280, and they established a monarchy, making Maddison Reynolds the queen. But months after the break from Alliance, Reavers attacked the planet, kidnapping women, including the queen. The military fought back and rescued those that were taken captive, and still alive, when they destroyed all the Reavers. The Queen was safe, but pregnant with a Reaver-Human Hybrid. The princess was born a few months later and tranquility once again reigned. When the queen died, the general who was the queen's husband took over, till the princess turns 14 and takes her rightful place as queen." Velia explained.

"Why'd she have to be 14?" grumbled Jayne, clearly bored.

"It's our laws, the princess was 12 and therefore could not rule as queen, yet." answered Ethan.

"Her stepfather was jealous of his short rule while she was to rule for the rest of her life, so he would…" Velia glanced at Inara and continued, "Violate her and let others do the same… When the princess finally came of age, she sentenced her stepfather to execution, and ruled with a good brain and a kind heart. When the princess was 16, Alliance took her to experiment on her the same way her stepfather did, till her lifelong friend and husband saved her."

"How did he know where she was?" asked Simon.

"Since the kidnap of Queen Maddison, all members of the royal family had a tracking device hidden in the bone of the ribs, completely hidden from Alliance technology." explained River to her husband.

"Precisely," remarked Velia, a complete smile on her face towards the crew who seemed to understand, most, of the story.

"What does the princess have to do with you and Ethan?" asked Wash.

"She IS the princess, honey." said Zoë in a patient voice which she managed to perfect.

"So… that means you're my… cousin?" asked Inara.

"Yes." answered Mal.

"Are you going to stay?" asked Inara, a brilliant smile on her face, the one that was an exact copy of Kaylee's.

Velia looked at Mal, no matter what; it was his final say that was obeyed. The Captain looked at River, knowing she could read what he was thinking of and saw her shake her head. After a while the Captain spoke a, "Yes" and Inara got up from her chair, ran to her father, and kissed him on the cheek. It's going to be a challenge, dealing with Maddie's death and a niece I've never met. Maybe this will be good, seeing as to how we now got ourselves a Reaver guard. Maybe River is wrong, but I ain't going to go against the psychic, Mal thought. It was going to be a long ride, indeed.