Disclaimer: Not mine, no coin changed hands. This story has not been beta-ed. Please accept my apologies for any errors or correct me.

Dedication: To all the folk who endure traumatic events and somehow find the courage to rebuild their lives.

Rating: NC17, For adult content, violence in some sections. Remarks: The next section in my long story arc exploring the challenges faced by Jayne and Kaylee as they struggle to define and strengthen their relationship. Takes place between the series and the BDM, three weeks after my previous story, “Leaps of Faith”. Click on my name to read the backstories.

Feedback: Sincerely appreciated when civilly offered; that’s what it’s all about. Some of you have expressed distress over this story’s title. Please consider the following:

Definitions: Source: The Random House Dictionary of the English Language Raping – (3) The act of seizing and carrying off by force (7) Plundering. Serenity – (1)The state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil.

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Raping Serenity

Chapter Three – Newhall

Mal, Zoë and Wash are studying a topo map of a section of Newhall on one of the bridge displays.

“I’d put her down there, Sir,” Zoë suggests, pointing to a small, relatively level plateau about ten klicks outside of Newberg, the sizeable town that’s grown up around the refinery. “Most of this place seems to be pretty much straight up and down.”

Wash interjects, “She’s right, Mal. As mountainous as Newhall is, we don’t have a lot of options.”

Mal leans in between them, studying the map on the display. Something in his gut keeps warnin’ him off, but the job looks good and Benning’s compensation is generous, so Mal reluctantly agrees to the landing site.

“Tickles me pink to be stealin’ from the Alliance right under their gorram noses,” he chuckles. “I just wish we could set Serenity down a little closer in. That’s a lot of open country to transport heavy cargo across.”

Zoë again weighs in, “I think there’s something to be said for parkin’ her a ways out, Sir, and we can use the shuttle to haul the freight back to Serenity. Might have to make more’n one trip, ‘though, since Benning says the stuff is so heavy.”

Mal reaches out and pats ‘em both on the back. “Okay then, lets us go make some money off the most civilized folk in the ‘Verse. An’ Wash, work up the load perimeters so we’ll know how much we can safely carry each run. Ain’t nothin’ to be gained by us crashin’ with all Mr. Benning’s cargo, cause we was overloaded.”

“You got it, Mal. No crashing.” Wash looks at his instruments and advises, “We oughtta hit atmo in about thirty minutes.”

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Kaylee’s been thinkin’ about River’s remarks the night before about Jayne. The girl doesn’t always make sense, but she’s got an uncanny way of getting right to the point about some things. Sweetness under a tough skin. Yep, that was Jayne. Hard work to get to it. Now that was true, too. Never been afraid of hard work before, so what’s the problem now, Kaylee Frye?

The pretty mechanic is busy with all the things necessary to ready Serenity for transition into atmo and landing, adjusting power flow and re-setting calibrations and just generally listenin’ in case the big ship tells her there’s a problem somewhere. Her belly has the same unsettled gnawing she’s carried inside since before the job with Emerson went south.

Sure wish I could figure out what’s keepin’ me so off-balance. I know it’s got to do with all this business between me an Jayne.

Kaylee thinks about her deep rapport with Serenity, the communion that they share. As she works it finally dawns on her that she’s been expectin’ Jayne to just know what she’s feelin’ and needin’, to listen to her like she does to Serenity. And as much as she’s stalled and pushed him away, she needs him to try again, to come to her and say what she longs to hear from him.

“Ya know, ‘Renity, just cause the man’s got some sorta sixth sense ‘bout what’s gonna happen in a firefight or can sense when his guns’r gonna jam, don’t mean he’s got any sense about me and what I need, apart from sexin’. Now that part, he’s got down pat.” She chuckles to herself and her cheeks color, then it occurs to her just how long it’s been since she and the big merc have tangled, and the memory evokes a sweet ache in her core. Hard work to get to the good part. Yeah, but it had been good. Really good.

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The crew has gathered around Mal down on the cargo bay deck. With the ramp down and bay doors open, hot fresh air swirls in, pepperin’ them with fine dust. It’s late afternoon, and long shadows slant in the hard light of Newhall’s descending sun. Across the plateau visible through the opening, the horizon is a jagged rampart of heavily forested slopes and rocky peaks.

Kaylee is the last to arrive, bounding down the stairs and wiping her hands on a rag. “Sorry, Cap’n. Had a thermocouple short at the last minute. Figured it was better to fix it now than need it later.” She slips into the circle of people next to Jayne and gives him a quick, sweet smile.

“Good reasonin’, li’l Kaylee.” Mal winks at her and claps his hands together like he often does before he launches into describin’ a job.

“So, people, knowing just how much we all love humpin’ the Alliance, we’ve taken on the job of carrying off a bunch of their precious tantalizin’ ore concentrate to Boros. The local foreman’s been skimming from the refinery’s production, figurin’ he might as well get in on the action. An’ that means we benefit, too.”

Simon winces and raises his hand and says, “Wouldn’t that happen to be tantalum ore, Captain?”

Mal looks annoyed and nods. “Probably so, doc. Anyways, we’re gonna be usin’ the shuttle to ferry a couple of loads of the stuff from where he’s cached it back here to Serenity. Stuff’s ungodly heavy, so the cargo ain’t bulky, but accordin’ to Benning, it’s worth a pretty fortune on the black market. We do this clean, we make out like bandits.”

Wash leans toward the Captain and points out, “Mal, we are bandits. Well, crooks at least.”

“Details!” Mal shakes his head in frustration. “Someone’s always confusin’ me with details.”

He points at Wash. “I want you an' Zoë an' Jayne with me in the shuttle. Jayne, since your leg’s still gimpy, you’re ridin’ shotgun. Don’t expect you to do any heavy liftin’ yet, although it’s a shame not to have the use of your legendary strength.”

The big mercenary smirks in response, puffin’ out his chest to assure the captain he’s still capable of being hired muscle.

Turning to Shepherd Book, Mal adds, “I’m askin’ you an’ Kaylee an' the doc an' River to sit tight and guard the fort. Seems a pretty quiet place, all told. No bulletins out on the cortex to indicate we got anything to be worried about, so as long as you stick close to home, you should have a nice, lazy day. We need to be outta here by 0800 hours tomorrow mornin’, so everybody turn in early tonight.”

(To be continued…)