Chapter 3

"So all them people live on a spaceship? Where are their mommies and daddies?" asked the little girl

"Well, sweetheart, everyone on the ship is grownup. Although, they might not always act that way. Serenity is their home, just like this house is our home. Some of them don’t have parents any more, for one reason or another."

"Aren’t they sad without their mommies and daddies?"

"Yes, I guess they might all be a little sad about that, but there’s one thing you have to remember... they have each other.

"I ‘member their a family from accident, right?"

"Yes, they are a family formed by accident, an inexplicable, lucky accident. Now you go on and get some sleep. We can talk more about Serenity and her charges tomorrow."

"I wish I could ride in a real spaceship." the little girl said eyes already closed in half sleep. "You could come too Momma."

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"Everyone sit down and hold on!" Wash yelled, grimacing in concentration. The entire ship trembled slightly as it began to touch down. "We are about to land ... in a cornfield?" he said confused, but more calmly as the shaking started to subside.

By now the entire crew had assembled on the bridge. For a moment everyone was silent, as they gazed at the site before them. Serenity had in fact looked to be landed right on top of some unlucky farmers' rising crops.

"I hate to break it to you son, but I think you might have miscalculated the position of the landing dock." Book stated.

"That’s what I was trying to explain to Mal, before that not-so-graceful landing. There is no landing dock. There is no planet. Well, there is a planet just not the one we were expecting. Though, I swear the nav computers guiding system is still holding true to our plans. It just don’t’ make any sense..."

"Well it couldn'a just disappeared. You dumb ass, must be losin’ your sense of direction, landin’ us all on some back water planet with no recevin’ docks.I say we hightail it outta here." Jayne rattled off.

"Jayne, shut your mouth before I shut it for you." Mal said, peering at the navigation coordinates from behind Wash. "Everything looks to be set, maybe we got knocked off course by whatever it was we hit earlier."

"Yea, but Captain, Serenity woulda sounded her alarms if there something strong enough to knock us around like that. Nothing went off, everything checked out in the engine room too. Wash is right, this just doesn’t make one lick of sense."

"Well it looks, like were goin’ on a little trek outside folks." Mal said. "Kaylee you and Wash grab what you need and make sure Serenity’s outside is as fit as she seems to be inside. Zoe, Jayne, lets take us a walk to town. See what we can find out from the locals. Persephone is a big place maybe that we happened to miss our target and landed on its outskirts."

"Your just going to go marching into town without a plan, without knowing if there is an alliance presence ready to pounce?" Simon asked a bit more boldly than usual.

"Yep, that about sums it up. We can’t just sit here and fret about what might or not be out there. Way I see it we really don't have much choice in the matter. Unless, of course, you got some genius idea that might save us all the trouble, we’ll be headin’ for town immediately. As long as you an River stay aboard and out of sight there won't be no trouble."

"Story has just begun. We all have to go, or it won't be complete." River spoke up.

"River, we can't go with them. It isn't safe. Come on let's go find a nice quiet place to wait." Simon said, placing a hand on her shoulder and urging her to follow him back to their quarters.

"No!" River screamed. "We have to go. All of us have to go."

"Settle down." Mal stated. "It's not worth gettin' into a tizzy over. We'll take the mule, if there's no action about, we'll send it back to get who ever has a mind to explore a bit. Jayne, grab them com units and lets get going."

"And if there is trouble?" Simon asked.

"We'll handle it." Mal stated simply.

************

"Not even a ding in her armour." Kaylee said patting Serenity's metal skin. "So, what do we do now?"

"I suppose we just wait, like the captain said. Wash replied. "I'm going head back inside see if I can't decipher some of the guide control log from right before the landing. There has to be some explanation. I mean my expert piloting has never steered us wrong before."

"As nice as it is to bask a bit in the sun again, I ain't about to stay out here all on my lonesome. Guess I could go and see what Simon's up to." Kaylee said, smiling at the idea of spending some time alone with Simon.

Just as the pair were closing up the cargo door, the com unit crackled with Mal's voice. "Wash, you there?"

"Just got back in, Mal, you seein' anything interesting out there?" he replied.

"Not much of anything yet,we just wondered up to some kind of eatin' joint. Seems to be a mass of people gathered here abouts. Just sent Zoe inside to scout it out a bit. See if we can gleen some info from the locals. I'll let you know more soon as I can. Keep alert, but don't worry none. It looks like an alliance free type place.

"I'll let the others know, just keep us updated." Wash replied.

Mal clicked off the com and started toward the entrance of the restaurant. A small scuffling sound made him turn from his spot at the bottom of the stairs.

"Aren't you a little old to be playing with a walkie talkie, Mister."

"Well, hello there little miss. Aren't you a bit young to be talkin' to strangers? Mal asked the towheaded girl. He thought she didn't look to be more than 6 or 7 years at the most.

"Yea, my momma says that lots. Are you a cowboy?"

Mal was a bit taken aback at the little girls question. Before he could form a reply a woman's voice ranted as she came running down the steps. "Miranda Josephine Kelleson! What in the world are you doing out here. I thought I told you to stay put. I turn my back for one second to pay the bill and you're out here talking to a complete stranger. Little girl, you are in a whole heap of trouble when we get home!"

"Sorry Ma'am. I wasn't meanin' no harm to her. She just came right up and started jabbering away. I was just about to head inside, try and find out who this little one might belong to." Mal said, not liking the wary look he was gettin' from the woman.

"Well, that's good to know. I expect she was jabbering at that, seems there isn't a person alive she can't hold a conversation with. You can just never be too careful she's a hard one to keep track of and I am just a bit paranoid with the constant news reports of childern kidnapped right from their own front yards."

"This town had a trouble with childeren being taken?" Mal asked, suddenly losing his earlier confidence that they had landed in a safe place.

"No, not here in particular. Like I was saying,you just never know. You hear about it occuring everywhere else on the 11 o'clock news. Come on Miranda, lets get going and leave this man alone now." she said hoisting the child up to her side. "You're not from around here are you?" she asked eyeing his brown, tattered coat and rough leather boots.

"As matter of fact, we, that is my crew and I, just arrived a few moments ago. We're a little of course, just trying to figure out exactly where we are. Name is Malcolm Reynolds.

"Mamma, he's a cowboy, but he don't got a horse." Miranda spoke up again, twirling her long, braided pigtails.

"Don't mind her, she has quite the imagination. My name is Anna Kelleson. Where is it your headed, Mr. Reynolds?"

"We were suppose to be landing on Persephone this afternoon. Somehow we got thrown off course and found this place instead."

"Persephone?" she asked with a puzzled look. "Can't say I have ever heard of that name before. Right now you're in lovely down town Gravlynville. There isn't much around here, but I'm sure Ada Lynn, she owns the restaurant here, could get you turned around where your going. She might have some maps you could borrow or something. It was nice to meet you Mr. Reynolds, good luck." she said as she walked away.

"Thanks for the help." he said pondering over what she had said. How could a person not know about Persephone? He was was a little scared to think about how far out they must be if they were on a planet so isolated. Zoe and Jayne came back at that moment, interrupting his thoughts.

"Sir, I found out some vital information." Zoe stated. It looks as though were a lot further out than we have ever been. Its the only thing that could explain none of these people seemin' to know a bit about Persephone. They didn't even have a cortex link to speak of."

"Yea looks like we are lost as a gorram blinded donkey." Jayne said. "Something 'bout these people don't set right with me. One old guy asked me if I's an escapee from some kinda loony bin, when I was trying to tell him how our ship just kinda fell in the middle of that field."

"Much as I hate to admit it, I am a little worried myself." He clicked on the com and waited for the static to settle. "Wash, I'm sendin' Jayne back to Serenity. I want to you to take watch of the ship for while. Anyone else wants to come on in can hitch a ride. Looks like our minor detour is gonna turn into one long and strange day.