Author's note - well, so much for this being the last chapter. Seems that my muse felt I hadn't said all I needed to say, so yes, there will be one more! And thanks ever so to Neroli for beta-ing this chapter (my first ever beta for my first ever fanfic). Also, a HUGE and very belated thanks to all those who've read and reviewed my fic before this, enduring a fairly steep learning curve on my part. Particular thanks go to Amobell, who's reveiwed EVERY SINGLE chapter without fail - you are a darling. I hope that you continue to enjoy this story.

Things Fall Apart – Chapter 14

Serenity, approaching landfall

Most of Serenity’s return trip to Helan was spent in debate about what to do when they got there and the brief respite from Alliance attention ended. Simon was all for making a run for it with River as soon as they touched down. Jayne thought that was the best idea Simon had had since he stepped on board, but Mal and Zoe vetoed it immediately. There was no way that Simon and River could make it off the ship unnoticed. An attempt to escape would immediately make them suspect, which would in turn implicate the ship and the rest of the crew. That was aside from the difficulties of moving a still-unconscious River.

Eventually, the crew came to the reluctant conclusion that they were going to have to try and bluff this one out using the fake ident bought from one of Badger’s contacts. If Simon wasn’t anywhere to be found and questions were asked about the ship’s doctor, then Serenity would be searched for sure. They installed River in the safest possible hidey-hole, close to Serenity’s generator and consequently hot, noisy and uncomfortable, but the most likely place to be missed if some hundan in the Alliance command decided to order a thermal scan of the ship. Wash did some creative work on the datalogs just in case they were requisitioned, although tampering with a ships data recorder would get the pilot and the captain a hefty fine and a jail sentence. Zoe promised them both she’d keep Serenity running while they were doing their time.

No one was under any illusions about the likelihood of their plan succeeding, and by the time they were ready to break Helan’s atmosphere the mood on Serenity had become grim and brittle with tension. Mal, Zoe, Wash and Jayne waited out the journey down to the surface on the bridge. “I think this is the best course of action, sir,” Zoe said over the noise of Serenity’s descent. “They gotta have probable cause to run a thermal scan, an’ no-one’s gonna believe we was smuggling Reavers.” “This is the Alliance military,” Mal said briefly. “Probable cause is for civilians. This General don’t seem to be too fond of us neither.” “Least we got God on our side,” Jayne quipped. “Never knew military t’ pay that much attention to a preacher before. Maybe he c’n keep ‘em from searchin’ us.”

“Maybe,” Mal replied without much conviction. It was something he’d been holding on to in the back of his mind, but he dared not trust that the Shepherd could provide them with another reprieve. Unfortunately, even Governor Xuan’s influence seemed to be waning. He wondered what Duvenage would tell the military about River and Simon. He hoped nothing, but several of Duvenage’s men had seen them bring River off the station. It was too much to hope that her presence would never be mentioned.

No-one spoke as Wash eased Serenity off her initial dive into a gentler flight path that would bring them up on the Alliance camp. Mal noted that Wash was flying as slowly as possible, almost as though he was hoping for some divine intervention to strike before they got there. The mood the gods were in, Mal only hoped that it wouldn’t be lightning. The sky was a brilliant sea of blue, pink and gold as they flew into the setting sun, leaving the bridge awash in amber light, something Mal had seen a hundred times before but still found beautiful. He felt a stupidly maudlin pang at the thought that he probably wouldn’t be seeing it again, and gritted his teeth. There was no way this side of hell that he was going to let the Alliance destroy everything he’d spent the last few years building. There had to be some way out of this.

“This is Firefly Serenity calling Alliance Base control tower, requesting permission to land,” Wash said over the com. “This is Alliance control, you are cleared to land. Welcome back, Serenity.” Wash raised his eyebrows at the uncharacteristic greeting. “Well, it seems like someone’s pleased to see us,” he remarked to the silent bridge. The Alliance camp was coming into view, a stretch of low buildings, a landing site still cluttered with ships of various descriptions and several acres of tents. The landing site was ablaze with floodlights, and in the glare, those on Serenity’s bridge could make out a sizeable crowd.

“What’s goin’ on down there?” Mal asked. Wash frowned and checked the monitors. “Don’t know, Cap’n. Looks like there’s a lot of people standing around waiting for something.” “I’ve been a mite lonesome of late, but I ain’t blind,” Mal retorted. “What’re they doin’ at the landing site? Alliance enforced radio silence, no-one’s supposed to know we’re comin’.” “Maybe they’re waitin’ to hear news of the folks who were missin’,” Zoe said. “Ain’t no army I know ever managed to keep people from hopin’ for a miracle.” “They’d stand there for three days?” Jayne asked, incredulous. “Some of ‘em would stand there a week, months, sometimes even years if they thought someone’d be comin’ back,” Zoe told him. Jayne snorted in disbelief.

Wash was frowning at the monitor as they drew closer. “Uh, Cap’n,” he said cautiously. “I think maybe someone broke radio silence.” Mal leant over and squinted at what it was that Wash was looking at. His eyes widened. “Wu den ma….” he breathed, “You may be right.” “Bunting,” Wash said incredulously. “They’ve got bunting!” At that moment, something brilliant shot up ahead of Serenity’s nose and light flared, startling all of them. Wash’s jaw sagged open. “And fireworks! Where’d they get fireworks?” “Sir, what’s happenin’?” Zoe asked urgently, looking utterly confused. “It’s a gorramned parade!” Mal said. “They’re welcomin’ us in with a gorramned parade!”

The closer Serenity came, the more it became obvious that this was what the crowd below had been waiting for. More fireworks followed the first, forcing Jayne to desert the bridge, his nerves shot. As Serenity swept in to land, streamers and flags fluttered in the rush of air kicked up from her engines. Alliance flags, but Mal and those on the bridge were too amazed to care. Before they touched down, it occurred to Mal that he’d better warn the rest of those on board about the reception waiting for them. He went through to the mess, finding Jayne regaling a disbelieving Simon, Book, and Inara with the story. All three turned to him asking a gabble of questions. Mal held up his hands.

“I don’t know,” he said as a general disclaimer. “It seems like someone told the camp we’re comin’ and they decided to welcome us in. I don’t know what it means, but until we have a better idea we stick to the plan,” he gave Simon a significant stare. “But won’t the crowd be of help to us?” Simon asked eagerly. “It’d be easy enough to slip into it and disappear-” “Carrying River?” Mal asked, and Simon’s face fell. “Oh,” he said despondently. Then he rallied. “But it’d make it a lot harder for the Alliance to follow us, wouldn’t it?” “Where would you be goin’?” Mal asked him. “You’re in the middle of an Alliance camp. The nearest town is miles away, an’ you’d be on foot carrying your sister. How far do you think you’d get?” Simon subsided, glaring at Mal for crushing his hopes.

“But Mal, isn’t there some way you can use this?” Inara asked him quietly. “The Alliance didn’t want anyone to know you were coming because they want time to question you. If people know you’re here, if they know your story, you’ll be heroes. It’ll make it that much harder for the Alliance to mistreat you.”

Mal had been thinking exactly that, but the thought of pimping himself to the masses just stuck in his throat. He studied Inara, disconcerted to see her dressed in Kaylee’s clothes. Wearing baggy trousers, a faded top, no make-up and with her hair down, she looked about sixteen. It had him all sorts of uncomfortable. “I’m not the one for sellin’ myself to folks,” he said, surprising himself with how harsh it sounded. Inara went still, her eyes widening slightly, but before she could gather herself to retaliate, Simon did it for her.

“This is a fine time to decide you’ve got a set of scruples,” he snapped. “River’s life is at stake! If they take her back, she will die. She’ll find a way to die. And if we’re lucky, the rest of us will go to jail for the rest of our lives. We need all the help we can get. What the hell’s wrong with you?” Abruptly, he turned and stormed out of the mess. In the silence that followed, Inara gave Mal a cold look and said, “When you’ve decided what you intend to do with the rest of our lives, let me know.” Her head high, she followed after Simon.

“Well, you handled that with your usual flare,” Shepherd Book remarked, folding his arms and leveling a look at Mal. “Don’t,” Mal said. “Just…don’t.” “Oh, far be it for tell you how to go about saving your pee goo,” the Shepherd replied. “I’m sure you’ve thought of something else by now, something a lot less dangerous and a lot more restrained than any of your usual plans.”

Mal gave him a hard stare and retreated to the bridge. Zoe glanced at him curiously as he came in and asked, “Problem, sir?” “We stick to the plan,” Mal said defensively. “Yes sir,” Wash said, giving Zoe a puzzled look. At that moment, a voice issued from the com. “Serenity, this is Alliance cruiser Orion. You are to land immediately and your crew is to remain on board until further notice. Repeat, no-one is to exit Serenity. Do you copy?” “Copy that, Orion, we land and stay on board,” Wash replied. When he switched off the com he remarked, “He didn’t say we couldn’t open the doors and have a chat with those good folks, now did he?”

------------------------------------------------ Landing field, Helan Alliance Base

The glare of the floodlights made it difficult to see what was going on outside the cargo bay doors, but Mal, Zoe, Wash, Jayne, Kaylee and Inara could just about make out the throng of people pushing forward, and the woefully understaffed Alliance soldiers struggling to hold them back. Mal was mortified to find that a lot of the people in the front row seemed to be carrying cameras. Flashes were going off like tracer fire.

“Looks like someone told the press we were comin’,” Zoe remarked. “Smile, people, your pictures are goin’ the length and breadth of this ‘verse,” Wash said out of the corner of his mouth, grinning like an idiot. “Three cheers for Serenity!” Someone shouted from the front of the crowd, and the cry was quickly taken up. The crew stared out at the cheering crowd in amazement. “Hey, we’re big damned heroes!” Jayne said, puffing out his chest and smirking. “Shiny!” Kaylee commented, waving happily. “Wonder if my dad’ll see this?”

Mal felt his heart quail. Inara, who stood next to him, seemed uncharacteristically hesitant about stepping forward into the glare of the lights. He heard her mutter, “Oh diyu, they’re never going to let me forget this.” Kaylee glanced at her and laughed. “Don’t be silly, why do you care what they think anyway? Just smile.”

Inara exchanged a look with Mal, and they shared the realization that they’d both rather be just about anywhere else right now. That surprised him. He’d have thought she would have relished the chance of a moment in the spotlight. The quick exchange reminded him sharply of the handful of other occasions when she’d dropped the pretense and allowed him to see her honest reaction. Much of their time on board the Nexus had been like that, and Mal missed their rapport with an intensity that startled him. He knew he’d damaged the fragile trust between them with his comment to her earlier, and he truly regretted it now. He didn’t want to go back to the way things used to be between them, before the Heart of Gold and the Nexus. Almost without thinking, Mal said quietly, “I’m sorry.”

Inara turned startled eyes up to his, and Mal felt a further twist of regret to see how unexpected his apology was. It shouldn’t have been, and it made him angry to realize that she was less surprised by his poor treatment. Even his crew expected more of him than she did. How had he let it get that bad?

Zoe lent a little closer to Mal and said under her breath, “Alliance ain’t gonna like this. Gonna make it a whole lot harder for us to disappear.” “Yup,” Mal agreed, dragging his attention back to the noisy crowd and the floodlit landing field with difficulty. “I figure we’ve got about ten minutes before they get more troops down here and clear this crowd.” “You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” Zoe asked him, keeping her expression bland as she studied the landing site intently. Mal glanced at Inara again, seeing her watching him with wary confusion. “I’m thinkin’ it looks like we got a whole lot more people on our side than we had an hour ago,” he said, and squinted against the glare of the lights as he checked the perimeter for any sign of Alliance reinforcements. “That’s what I’m thinkin’,” Zoe remarked. “You up for a little rabble rousin’?” Mal shrugged and said wryly, “Ain’t got nuthin’ better to do.”

He stepped forward to the edge of the ramp, and the nearest Alliance soldiers looked between him and the crowd as though trying to decide which one posed the greatest threat. Mal nodded genially to the soldiers and raised a hand to greet the crowd. Forget about the cameras, he thought to himself. Just say what needs sayin’ and get your people the hell outta here. An expectant hush fell.

“On behalf of myself an’ my crew, I jus’ wanna say thank you to you all for comin’ out here,” Mal said, raising his voice to make sure everyone could hear. “You’ve made us feel more’n welcome. I have to admit we were expectin’ somethin’ a little different. If we’d'a known we were gonna be on camera, we’d‘ve tried to make ourselves a little more presentable.” There was scattered laughter, and Mal relaxed a little. Several of the reporters in the front row began shouting questions, and Mal held up his hand again until the crowd quietened down again. “Sorry, didn’t quite catch that,” he said. “Are you Captain Malcolm Reynolds?” One reporter asked. “That I am. This here is my ship, Serenity, and her crew,” Mal turned to indicate those standing behind him. He met Inara’s wary gaze and smiled just a little, “An’ the Companion Inara Serra, who was on board the Nexus 7 and is travellin’ with us a while.”

As the tide of attention swept their way, Jayne, Wash and Kaylee grinned and waved madly. Inara stood very still, an enigmatic smile on her face, looking a little like a deer caught in gun sights. Zoe carefully surveyed the perimeter. Mal waited for the cheering to die down, finding that despite himself, he was quite touched by the crowd’s enthusiasm. But Zoe’s careful study of the landing field had reminded him of how little time they had. He addressed the crowd again. “I know the Alliance had this sector locked down pretty tight, so maybe you didn’t get to hear a whole lot about what happened on board the Nexus 7. I know there’s probably all sorts of rumours flyin’ around about who attacked the station an’ why, but what’s important is that they’re gone and they ain’t gonna be comin’ back anytime soon.”

“Who were they?” Someone asked, “Was it Reavers?” Mal became serious and nodded, “Yup, it was.” There were gasps and a few fearful cries, and Mal had to raise his voice to carry over them. “But they turned tail an’ ran as soon as they knew the Alliance were comin’. Can’t say as I blame them for that.” “Were there any more survivors?” Another voice asked. “We didn’t find any,” Mal replied shortly. The less said about the women and children the Reavers had taken the better. No point putting their families through that as well.

“We heard that the Alliance arrested you an’ your crew,” one of the reporters shouted from the front. “Is that true?” There was a distant rumbling of engines and a stirring at the back of the crowd. Mal squinted against the glare of the floodlights, but couldn’t see anything more than shadows. “Cap’n, I think our time’s runnin’ out,” Zoe said in a low voice. Mal nodded to show he’d heard her and answered the reporter’s question. “Well, they’re sayin’ they jus’ wanna ask a few questions, but they made it pretty clear we ain’t goin’ nowhere until they’ve asked them. They also sure ain’t keen on us to be talkin’ to you folks,” he said, aiming his most charming smile at the front row of the crowd where the cameras were thickest. “I think they’re a mite jealous myself, seein’ as how we had the balls to do what they didn’t. Personally, I don’t give a damn. I ain’t gonna let no Reavers be attackin’ me an’ mine without I’m goin’ to do somethin’ about it, an’ I ain’t about to apologize for it neither.”

There were mutters of agreement from the crowd and a spatter of applause, but Mal could also hear see purposeful movement in the darkness at the edge of the floodlit field. Several ground transports were heading their way, and he could see those at the back turning to have a look at what was causing the noise. Only moments later, an official-sounding voice came over a loudspeaker system on one of the vehicles, drowning out the reporters’ questions.

“This is Captain Nagamori of the Alliance Military Police. No unauthorized personnel are permitted on the landing field. Please return to the designated civilian areas immediately. I repeat, no unauthorized personnel are permitted on the landing field. Anyone found on the landing field without authorization will be arrested and charged. You are asked to disperse immediately.”

“Took them long enough,” Mal muttered to himself. Typical Alliance arrogance, not seeing this coming. He felt a grim satisfaction at seeing the reporters eagerly taking it all in. “Why do you think they want to question you?” One of them asked, having to shout to be heard over the din of engines and the loudspeaker. “Figure they’re lookin’ for someone to blame,” Mal said with a shrug. “Best way to draw attention off of how they screwed up is ta have a handy scapegoat. Since they ain’t managed to catch themselves any Reavers, might as well blame it on the browncoats.”

“Will you be speaking to the press about your ordeal on board the Nexus?” Another asked, but before Mal could answer the loudspeaker cut across them. “Crew of Serenity, you are to close your cargo bay doors and remain on board until further notice. You are not to make contact with anyone outside Alliance Command. Failure to comply will result in your arrest and charge under the current State of Emergency provisions. Do you understand?”

Mal scratched his head, thought about it some, and just when he knew the Alliance were about to get rough, said calmly, “Sounds pretty clear to me. Guess we’ll be doin’ that then.” Without acknowledging the reporters, who were jabbering questions at his back, Mal turned and strode back up the ramp, saying to the others as he passed by, “You heard the man, move yourselves. Don’t wanna be givin’ them any more reasons to be arrestin’ us.”

When everyone was back inside, Mal closed the cargo bay doors, faced the crew and smiled broadly. “I get a kick out of pissin’ ‘em off,” he remarked. Both Zoe and Inara raised eyebrows. “Think it worked?” Zoe asked. Mal shrugged. “Too early to tell.” “I’d like to know who told them we were coming,” Shepherd Book said from the walkway above the cargo bay. “It sounded like someone had been briefing them about our situation.” “One time I ain’t gonna complain about how reporters know what it is that they know,” Zoe murmured. Mal grinned at her. “I ain’t lookin’ a gift horse in the mouth. Wash, get onto the cortex, I want to know what’s goin’ on as soon as the rest of the ‘verse does. We’re gonna be playin’ a waitin’ game for a while, so everyone might as well find a way to keep themselves busy. No tellin’ how long this is gonna take to play out. Like I said, we don’t wanna be givin’ them any excuses to be arrestin’ us right now, so nobody do anythin’-” Mal gave each of them a long, hard look, “anythin’ without you check it with me first. You got that?” For once, no-one seemed inclined to argue.

---------------------------------------- Alliance Cruiser Orion

Governor Xuan could tell that General Mengitsu was furious, although the General was trying very hard to control himself. The Governor bowed politely and waited for the General to acknowledge him. The General continued reviewing the files that his Lieutenant Colonel had brought to him, letting the Governor cool his heals for a few minutes, long enough to remind him who’s turf they were standing on. The Governor smiled inwardly. In some ways, the General was utterly predictable.

“Governor,” General Mengitsu said eventually. “You wish to take your leave of us, I hear.” “Yes, thank you General. I would like to take my family home as soon as possible.” “I am sure you would. However, we have yet to conclude our investigations into the incident at Nexus 7.”

There was a heavy pause. The Governor noticed that Lieutenant Colonel Stuart was keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the palmtop the Governor had returned to him, apparently absorbed with studying the readout. Wondering why the General had not dismissed the man, the Governor hesitated before asking politely, “I was given to understand that you had finished questioning both my grandson and my employees.” “The crew of the Firefly must still be questioned. You have admitted that you were responsible for hiring them as mercenaries to board Nexus 7 without Alliance sanction. We may need to question you further on this.” Governor Xuan watched General Mengitsu carefully. Where was he going with this? “I hired them to help me rescue my grandchildren,” he said calmly. “An action which went against the directive of the Alliance Military, which stated that no civilian personnel were to make any attempt to approach the Nexus 7,” General Mengitsu snapped back.

Keeping himself from sighing with irritation, Governor Xuan replied, “We have already been through this, General. I have explained my actions to you not once, but several times. I am perfectly willing to accept responsibility for my decision, and I will defend it in court if necessary. My men were equipped, ready and willing to mount a rescue attempt, and your refusal to accept our help put the lives of your soldiers – one of whom happened to be my grandson – at unnecessary risk.”

The General waved a hand, impatiently dismissing the Governor’s argument. “You have gone too far this time, Governor Xuan. You have leaked confidential information concerning this incident to the press and compromised our investigation. That is twice you have flouted the Alliance’s directives in this matter and I will be making damned sure that you are charged this time.”

Governor Xuan allowed another pause to emphasize his indignant surprise. “You are accusing me of being responsible for what is happening on your base?” “I know you are responsible for this, Governor!” The General was so angry that he wasn’t even bothering to hide it. “You have made it perfectly clear where you stand on this matter and your lack of co-operation has not gone unnoticed. Such flagrant disregard for the Alliance’s interests will not be tolerated!”

Lieutenant Colonel Stuart seemed very uncomfortable, which the Governor found quite enlightening. He drew himself up and snapped back, “I am shocked and dismayed at this accusation, General. I deny it outright. I have made no attempt to contact the press, nor have I mentioned anything that I may have seen or heard to anyone not on this ship. Your accusations are completely unfounded and I demand an apology.” “You made three calls,” the General retorted icily. “Two to your private secretary and one to your ship’s captain. In your call to your ship’s captain, you provided him with an itinerary and asked him to file a flight plan, clearly specifying the dates and times you wished to leave Helan and the number of people who would be traveling with you.”

The Governor was careful to look startled at this, and glanced again at the Lieutenant Colonel as though he was embarrassed that he was being accused in front of an underling. Furious, he asked, “You tapped my personal calls?” The General frowned. “You are on an Alliance cruiser,” he said irritably. “All calls are routinely monitored for security purposes, are they not Lieutenant Colonel?” Lieutenant Colonel Stuart cleared his throat and nodded, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the opposite wall.

There was a third pause as the Governor studied General Mengitsu and thought not for the first time that the man’s arrogance was his greatest weakness. Had the General been willing to accept help from local sources, a rescue attempt could have been mounted in less than a day, and it was highly likely that more lives could have been saved. But the General’s utter disregard for any offer of help, his dismissal of the local militia as a bunch of backwater Independent trash, had meant a three-day wait for those trapped on board the Nexus. Governor Xuan was furious, but not for the reasons the General assumed.

“General, if you review the transcripts of my calls you will notice that I did not once mention the Firefly or her crew. Neither my Captain nor my personal secretary knew that the Orion was escorting Serenity back to Helan, and I certainly did not instruct them to contact the press. However, I believe that your staff made several calls to the base, confirming that the wounded soldiers were being brought in so that medical care could be arranged. If you are looking for a leak, I would suggest that you start there.” “No one in Alliance command would dare such a thing!” The General snapped.

Governor Xuan narrowed his eyes. “General, a space station has been crippled. Several hundred people were evacuated and perhaps hundreds of lives lost, including family of some of the most powerful members of the Alliance military. The Serendipity, the Alliance’s flagship and the subject of numerous news broadcasts and documentaries, has been destroyed before she could even make her maiden voyage. All of this was accomplished by Reavers, who’s atrocities regularly make the evening news in the Core worlds, although the Alliance refuses to acknowledge them as a legitimate threat. How exactly did you intend to keep the rest of the ‘verse from noticing what was happening out here?”

There was little left to say after that. Although General Mengitsu continued to deny that anyone in the Alliance might possibly be responsible for the leak to the press, it was clear that his anger had overcome his good sense in making the accusation to the Governor directly. Governor Xuan kept his temper through the rest of the General’s diatribe, simply requesting that he be given leave to return to his family, and soon found himself dismissed.

Governor Xuan left the General’s office with the knowledge that he had won this battle, but in doing so he had also won himself a ruthless and determined enemy. His list of allies within the Alliance was growing thin indeed, and this one small victory would not win the war. The struggle for power was so delicately balanced between the opposing forces within the Alliance and the external pressures of maintaining control of such a vast and diverse number of worlds that at this moment, the Governor could not have predicted who would be left standing at the end of it. He could understand why it was that some within the Alliance had risked so much, had stepped beyond the bounds of what was moral or ethical and done whatever it was to those children. Not for the first time he felt a pang of regret that they could not risk contact with the doctor or his sister, not at this time. Still, it was oddly comforting to know that his enemies’ weapons against the future had proved so unpredictable, so human. Perhaps in that there was enough of the hand of God for him to take comfort, if only for a time.

End of Chapter 14.