~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~ C H A P T E R 2 ~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~

Port Payan had been an error, pure and simple. There had been errors when the planet had been chosen for Terraforming. If nothing else, Port Payan was a huge green spot on an else desert covered Planet. The close proximity to the sun had made every attempt at greenery an impossible task. For all explanation Scientists had there had been some natural waterbubble underneath the Terraform Generator X15-Y137, the local generator around which Port Payan had been built.

The Serenity had gotten an out-of-way Landing Pad. They had not paid nearly enough money to get a centerpiece place. Instead they had gotten a Pad on the Docks, fifteen Clicks from the Business and Activities centres.

Inside Serenity Jayne, Mal and Simon finished straping the last box upon the handcart Kaylee had made from the old mule. Zoe opened the freighter baydoors and all of them had to blink at the glaring brilliancy of Payan's Sun.

When their eyes had adjusted to the brightness Simon, about to move out as first, almost tripped when trying to get back inside in a hurry.

-"Did you do that on purpose?" he asked Mal, his face pale and his frame shaking like a leaf. The captain raised a brow and looked out.

-"Sun of a ..." he cursed. A huge white warehouse with a blue logo was their immediate neighbour, complete with chainfence and some patroling guards inside the security perimeter, as well as some Alliance Soldiers patroling outside.

He whirled around and gunned his orders.

"Doctor, you take that sister of yours and you don't approach the cargo bay. Make her sleep, lock her in her room, tape her up in the infirmary for all I care. I don't want to see one of your faces for as long as we are here. Jayne, you and Wash will remain here. Wash will have to do some upgrades to the ship. I leave..." his eyes bored into Jayne's "..the security of this ship and of the crewmates into your hands. Do you get me?"

Jayne swallowed his eyes darting left and right. -"Yes, sure . Nothing will cross my defenses. I'll make sure of that."

-"I count on that. Zoe, you and me will move the boxes. Sheperd, I'm sorry but you will have to help Kaylee. I won't allow her moving alone in here."

-"Excuse me" Kaylee's face was one of outrage when she looked from her captain to the preacher who was still above them on the catwalk.

"I'm sure I can find pieces by myself, and what does Book know of Serenity's intestines?"

-"Sorry, Xiao mei mei, but you'll have to do with him."

-"I will try not to impose much." Book's deep voice said soothingly. -"Please remember we are in the outer rim and there are still a few planets around here where slavers are working."

-"Bah, Slavers" Jayne spat on the ground "they try to get in here and they're in for a nasty surprise."

-"Quite so" This from Book.

Kaylee's face had paled a bit. With a show of the nonchalence she had lost, she hooked her arm under Book's wo had finally reached them.

-"Well, we two people will find some great things. I have the list" she patted a breastpocket from her coverall "and hopefully you'll have enough money."

Mal winced and gave her a small pouch.

-"Should be enough credits. You'll have to wait until we are paid." His hand patted the boxes beside him. "But we should have enough by then. Okay Zoe, let's move."

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-"Just a minute, Book. Just let me..."

Kaylee 's head had disappeared in the small compartment previously housing the engine from an old Starscraper yacht. Again. Behind her, the sheperd looked a bit out-of-place with his pressed trousers and the starched collar, his hands full of metal plating and streaks of grease and other fluids running across his fingers.

-"Kaylee we really should go now."

-"Huh?"The mechanics voice reverbated hollowly between the engine housing and a jet intake. Meanwhile one shoulder had disappeared into the compartment as well. and the whole piece started to shake as she was pulling on something inside.

-"I said we should really.."

-"THERE,...aye.." With a giggle she landed on her ass, holding a chromed piece of ... something... in her hand.

"Gorram am I glad to get you."

Book eyed the piece curiousely, but couldn't imagine what the thing was for. To him it almost looked like a waterpipe used for washing his hands. But what would such a thing do inside an engine compartment?

-"Erm..." he wasn't really sure to show his ignorance about starcraft engines, but wasn't afraid enough not to ask. "what do we need that pipe for?"

"What.. oh, this?" Kaylee looked up at him and then at the pipe again. "We don't need it."

Without looking back she threw the piece behind her.

"What we need is this..." She slammed a foot against the housing and with a booming sound the lower part of the housing crashed on the ground.

"Isn't it pretty?" She asked with dreamy eyes.

To Books untrained eyes the whole was no more than a pile of scrap parts and junk. To Kaylee it was evidently something more. But Book wasn't about to ask a second time.

-"Hey Kayl' wha'd a ya doin' me gal?" -"Hey Spruce..."

She grinned at the long lanky man who had appeared out of an office cube. Tightly braided hair fell in long lines to the hips and he was clearly underweight, his rips showing. But his face split into a nice grin, flashing a mouth full of even white teeths, and he seemed healthy enough, considering.

-"...I'm just doing some shopping. I got this lot from your ratfaced partner.... Hehe, seems he forgot to remove the transponder wheel and the bypass electronics."

-"Arw,....don' tell me you pay'd 'im upfront, din't ya?" When she started to nod with a wide beaming smile his face almost crumbled and something akin tears clouded his eyes.

-"Shee-it. Well take ya rubble an' git out o' here."

-"I love you too Spruce."

-"Ya hun, I know .... LESTER, you sunufabitch"

With long strides the man disappeared behind another huge hill of scrap metal while Kaylee started to pile electronical and mechanical pieces on Books arms until the preacher suddenly boomed

-"Please, Kaylee, .. Perhaps I am Sheperd, but surely not a mule. You continue loading my arms with stuff like this and I won't be able to move a step."

-"You're right" Kaylee agreed. She looked around, suddenly pinched her eyes and the next moment two fingers went in her mouth and a loud whistle almost startled Book enough to drop his load. He noticed Spruce looking from behind his metal hill, but Kaylee's help came from the other side.

-"What ya want, ma'am?" a youngster no more old than twelve asked. He and two pals approached slowly and cautiously.

-"I tell you what...you help me get this pile onto my transport and you'll get a credit."

-"One credit each!"

Book was about to say something but Kaylee only stared at the youngster who nervously held his hands aloft.

-"'kay...no need of hitting, 'twas jus' a question. Hey guys, let's bring the rubble to the Firefly."

-"How do you know we're from a Firefly?"

-"Do I look mentally impaired? How many Transport aroun'here, huh?"

-"Okay, I get your point Kaylee said. "Let's move

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In her shuttle Inara concluded her morning ritual, the prayers and the cleanings done. For a long time she stood in front of her wardrobe cabinet, looking at the Vinear Clothes hanging neatly there. Knocking on the hatch let her turn around. Simon stood in the entrance, but had not entered the shuttle, respecting her home.

-"Simon? What can I do for you?" -"Ah..Wash told me Interpost had some package for you. Registered so you have to get it yourself.

Inara's pretty face lightly creased.

-"A registred Package? I wonder who... . No matter. Thank you, Simon I will leave at once to the postoffice."

The doctor's face winced a bit and Inara raised a brow.

-"Yes?"

-"The thing is...the Captain gave very specific orders. No woman can walk around here alone. But Jayne and I can not leave with you either." -"Why not? Simon told her about their army neighbours. Her face creased a bit more until a smile bloomed. -"This might just work." she muttered. Then she turned a brilliant Smile on Simon while walking back to her wardrobe. "Doctor, I hope you don't mind, but I will need your help.

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In the open bay, Jayne was grimly peering out at the bar just the other side of the port fence. If not for Mal's orders he would have been in the bar, enjoying drinks and women. But he was stuck here ... and a motion made him swirl around, his gun held high.

River was balancing on an imaginary line, crossing the cargo bay from side to side. Her young face was creased with concentration while she murmured some make-up sing-sang song.

-"Nutcase" Jayne muttered. Then, when River's face whirled around, her finger pointingly slashing out at him and her eyes intend on his face, he felt some ice-cold sweat shivering down his spine and he had to swallow a couple times.

"I .. I didn't really meant this. I..I.." Since his betrayal had become known, he had worked hard not to overly anger anyone of the Tam siblings. Or of the other crew. Then he stopped his hastily thrown excuses when River's head cocked to the side, like she was hearing something. Her mouth started to pout but then she sputtered a laugh.

"Uhh...what? Jayne asked, not really sure what was happening. River started to shake from laugher. -"Simon is....Simon is" she giggled, not able to finish her sentence. Suddenly she pointed up at the catwalk, clutching her waist in laugher. Jayne's eyes darted up and his mouth started to make a big round O.

-"NO, no way I will walk around like this." Simon fumed. Inara had hooked under his arm,steering him, while her other hand lightly rubbed the bare shoulder.

-"You will be fine, Simon, trust me. Since I have to have some male walking with me, and since you can't walk around as Simon Tam we have to use what small possibilities at stealth we have.

The doctor looked down at himself. His pants had wide puffing legs ending in snug cuffs around his ankles and some kind of leathery harness had been fastened around his chest. Beneath the harness the whole visible flesh had been painted in bright friendly eyecatching colors. Inara tugged at the headband she had fastened around his forehead and pulled down a veil to cover his face.

-"So, there. Noone will think the fugitive Simon Tam will be under the disguise of a pleasure boy from the Parris VI Casinos. Now let's walk, dear."

Jayne was too stunned to stop them and by the time he had recovered both of them had disappeared in one of the dirty, dusty port cubicles. He started to giggle, then laugh until some tears ran down his cheeks. -"Oh this will be fun." he crooned. "I love it."

to be continued

Note: Chapter 3 will REALLY become more graphic. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ exerpt Chapter 3

Somewhere, between the middle Port and the lower Docks, a couple Thugs hurried over the outer stairs of a small Warehouse, trying to get swift as hell on the roof. One of them held a couple of military binoculars and immediately scanned the surroundings while the other took a two-way from his inner pocket.

-"Baby two for baby one, you get me?" -"Yeah Baby, loud an'clear. So what's the news?" -"Got a target for you. Name's 'Serenity' and we want the reward." -"You get the reward when we get the target. Baby out." -"Ah, damn" the one with the binoculars muttered, "couldn't they pay first for once! Don't they have faith." -"Would you have faith in us in their place?" Silence followed while binoculars stared at two-way. Who grinned back at binoculars. "See!"