Archangel – Chapter Nineteen Author owns no rights to Firefly and no copyright infringement is intended. --------------------------- Jasmine Carter had seen the trio of Cobb, Tam, and Frye emerge from an alleyway with Reynolds’ first mate, Washburn. She had crept across to the alley and surveyed the damage. She shook her head at the carnage. Cobb is definitely dangerous, she thought, not realizing that River was responsible for half of it. She hurried away, lest she be caught there. The man who had fled returned shortly with a large group of men, all rather dirty, she noted, dressed mostly in animal skins. “Right here, Rye,” she heard the runner say. “Just walked up on us, and waylaid us.” “Who was it?” she heard the man called Rye demand. “Ain’t never seen’em a’fore,” the man admitted. “Don’t think they’s from around here,” he added. “Means they’s on one o’ them ships,” Rye jerked his head toward the landing area. He turned to his men. Carter guessed there were thirty in all. “Spread out,” he ordered tersely. “Somebody seen where they went. Want’em dead. Can’t have this. Folk’s here’bouts’ll start gettin’ idees. Ain’t havin’ it.” The men all growled in acknowledgment, and started moving up and down the street. Carter had seen enough. She hurried on her way back to the ship. She had to warn the crew. ----------------------- River sat up suddenly, alert. Jayne noticed from his spot across the bay, and eased his arm from around a sleeping Kaylee. “Reporter returns,” River hissed. “She hurries,” the girl added. “Fearful.” Jayne nodded, and slipped silently out the door, away from the ship. If the girl was being followed, he’d take care of it. Carter hurried up the ramp, starting when River was suddenly standing in front of her. “Where’s the Captain?” she asked at once. “There’s a large group of rather unsavory looking men who are rather upset over their dead friends.” “What is it?” Kaylee sat up, cold without Jayne’s bulk to wrap into, and awakened by Carter’s arrival. “Where’s Jayne,” she asked, looking around. “Jayne is just outside,” River told her calmly. “Please go and find Captain Daddy, Kaylee. We have a problem.” Kaylee nodded, and hurried off to find Mal. River regarded Carter for a moment. “What?” the reporter asked. “You saw,” River stated. “I saw you three come from an alleyway, Cobb carrying Washburn. Is she okay?” “She will recover,” River said firmly. “What did you see?” “The leader of that pack of ruffians calls himself Rye,” Carter told her. “There are at least thirty of them. Right now they’re canvassing the town, looking for someone who saw where you went. He said that if they allowed this to go unanswered, it might give the folks in town ‘idees’. I suspect he meant ideas about standing up to them.” “I suspect you are correct about that,” River nodded. “You should head up to the galley. You can tell the Captain there. And it will be safer.” “What about you?” Carter demanded. “I am quite safe, here,” River smiled. “Now go, quickly.” Carter stared for a moment longer, then she went. River watched her go, then turned back to the door. “You heard?” she asked the darkness. Jayne materialized out of the dark. “I did,” he nodded, face grim. “We’ll have to fight them, or get off this rock.” “Have a delivery to make tomorrow,” River pointed out. “Have to fight, then,” Jayne agreed. “Go and get your gear, mei mei,” he ordered softly. “And bring mine, if you will. I’ll keep watch.” “As you wish,” she nodded, and left. Mal was there two minutes later. “Reporter says we’ll like as not have company,” he said at once. “I imagine,” Jayne nodded, never looking away from the scene outside the door. “Where’s River?” “Went to get her gear, and mine,” Jayne replied. “How you aim to play this, Mal?” Startled by the question, Mal hesitated. “‘Spect you know these folks better’n I do, Jayne,” he said finally. “I’m open to suggestions.” “Easiest thing is to get off world,” Jayne shrugged. “Got a cargo to deliver,” Mal pointed out. “Could land again tomorrow,” Jayne suggested. “True,” Mal mused. “She said there was near on to thirty of’em.” “Maybe even more,” Jayne told him. “They’re tuskers. Come from out in the wilderness areas three, four times a year. Tree towns like this one two, three weeks at a time. We done showed they ain’t all that. Now they got to hit us, and hard, else others may start standin’ up to’em.” “Ain’t never liked that kind o’ thing,” Mal said thoughtfully. “We can kill’em,” Jayne offered. “I can head off down there right now, you like, start takin’em in the dark. Won’t be many of’em left come mornin’.” Mal fought of a shiver at the ease with which Jayne talked of killing so many. “Think you could do it by your lonesome?” he asked, almost challengingly. Jayne looked at him then, finally. “What d’you think?” he asked calmly. “Right,” Mal nodded. “River’ll likely want to go, anyway,” Jayne shrugged. “She don’t like what they was planning for Zoe.” “I don’t want her mixed up in this,” Mal objected at once. “She’s in it whether you like it or not,” Jayne shrugged again. “She killed two of’em, and the one that run, he’ll know that. Sides which,” he added, “with Zoe down, you ain’t gonna have no choice but make use of her for a spell, like it or not.” Mal nodded, reluctantly agreeing. Jayne was right. “Thirty is a bunch o’. . .tuskers? That what you called’em.” “Yep,” Jayne nodded. “And it is. But they’re wasted skin, Mal. Ain’t worth the air they breath. Near on as bad as reavers, ‘cept they don’t eat folks.” He paused a minute, then added, “That I know of.” “Huh?” Mal started. “They live out in the wilderness, Mal,” Jayne shrugged. “Ain’t no knowin’ what goes on out there. And they’re as like to do it as not, I’m thinkin’.” “Ai ya,” Mal shook off a shudder. “Why didn’t you tell us about this, Jayne?” he demanded. “Didn’t think on’em,” Jayne admitted. “Had a lotta things goin’ on of late, you might recall.” His tone wasn’t quite accusatory, but it was close enough that Mal got the hint. “I lived here maybe three years,” Jayne continued, “‘fore Ma sent me away, and joined the independents. Only seen three of’em, once. My Ma whipped the tar out of’em, and they never set foot on Cobb land no more.” He grinned at Mal. “My Ma was a right tough woman.” “Sounds like it,” Mal nodded. He’d thought Zoe was tough, too. “You Ma was an Independent? I thought she was Alliance.” “She retired from the Alliance to raise me, kept me alive,” Jayne told him. “Back then, there was standin’ orders to kill anyone who had been reaver bit. She wouldn’t let’em. Saved me.” “When the war started loomin’, she sent me away to the monastery, and up and enlisted in the Independents. Was a Regimental Sergeant Major in the Marines.” “What?” Mal almost screeched. “7Th Independent Marines,” Jayne nodded. “She was killed on Harvest, when the Marines took the planet back from the Alliance,” he added softly. Mal didn’t say anything else. River came back into the bay quietly handing Jayne his things. He took them with a smile, and started outfitting himself. “Jayne, reckon how long it’ll take’em to find out where we are?” Mal asked, considering their few options. “Depends on who saw us, and where they got to,” Jayne shrugged. “Weren’t many out.” “No one saw what happened,” River assured them, watching into the dark. “A few did see us leaving, and would remember Jayne carrying Zoe.” “So they might already know,” Mal mused. “Or might never find out,” River replied. “Jayne, you sure that you can. . .” “I’m sure,” Jayne nodded. He looked at River. “Wanna go huntin’, mei mei?” “I’d like that very much,” she growled, not looking back. “Very much.” “Fine,” Mal grumped. “You two go, then. But take a com, both of you, and try not to get too far from the ship. They hit us, I’ll need you back here in a hurry.” “We’ll mind it,” Jayne assured him. Standing erect, he loomed in the darkness. “Ready, baby girl?” he asked. She gave him a bright smile, predatory for all it’s brightness. “Ready ge ge,” she nodded. Mal managed not to gawk at that. Jayne turned to Mal. “Make sure Kaylee stays on board,” he ordered, and there was no question it was an order. Mal nodded. “I’ll see after her.” “Let’s go,” he told River, and the two set off into the dark, disappearing in just a few steps. Mal shook his head, then closed the ramp. It would be a long night. ---------------- Jayne and River crept slowly into the edge of the town, staying in the shadows. They halted behind a large wagon, and looked the street over. Tuskers were busily pounding on doors, dragging people from their sleep, and demanding to know who had killed their friends. So far, no one had known. Several men had been roughly handled for not knowing what had took place, but no one had been seriously injured. Not yet. “They’ll take to killin’ folk, ‘fore long,” Jayne whispered, and River nodded. “I have an idea,” River whispered back. “But you will not like it.” “What is it?” Jayne looked at her. She explained. “You’re right, I don’t like it,” he growled. “It will work,” River argued. “At least for a while. Let us trim the odds, somewhat.” “I don’t like it,” Jayne repeated stiffly. River kissed his cheek suddenly. “It will be fine, ge ge,” she told him. “You will be here.” With that she was gone, before Jayne could object again. “Ai ya,” Jayne muttered. “Feng le girl! And I thought she was all better.” Grimly he followed her, slower, and staying to the shadows. ------------------- The tusker known as Blu was getting more angry by the minute. One of the dead men had been his brother. The only real family he had in the ‘verse. And now he was gone. He had decided that the next person he came across would know something useful, or he’d kill them. “What’s wrong, big man?” he heard a girl’s voice ask. Turning, he saw a girl who might be sixteen standing on the sidewalk, the next block down. Pretty thing, he noted. “Hey, girl!” he called, stomping toward her. “I’m lookin’ fer the men what killed my brother! Where they be?” He was almost to the girl, now. “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I didn’t know anyone got killed.” “You ‘spect me ta b’lieve that?” he demanded. “What’re you doin’ out here all by yerself, anyhow? Girl like you?” He looked over the girl. “Who said I was alone?” she smiled. Blu felt an arm snake around his head, and tried to yell out. But by then, his vocal cords had been severed. Jayne hauled the tusker into the alleyway, dumping his body behind a wooden crate, out of sight. “Told you it would work,” River smirked up at him. “I never said it wouldn’t work,” Jayne growled back. “I said I didn’t like it.” “Whatever,” River rolled her eyes. “Let’s catch another one.” “Right.” --------------------- As the night wore on, Jayne and River ‘caught’ twelve more of the brutal tuskers, using her idea. It seemed that the wild men had a penchant for pretty young women that over ruled their caution. River had taken five of them, herself. “Be light, soon,” Jayne whispered. “And they oughta be notin’ some o’ their folks missin’ by now,” he added. “Should, but haven’t,” she frowned. “Don’t understand it.” “Me neither,” Jayne shrugged. “Let’s head back. I don’t want us spotted, in case someone ties us to the ship.” She nodded, and the two crept back out of town, just as stealthily as they had crept in. As they neared the ship, River used her com to call the ship, and the ramp lowered, Mal standing in the doorway. “How’d it go?” he asked, noting that both his ‘killers’ were coated in blood. “Got ‘bout half,” Jayne shrugged. “Not a bad night’s work, all in all.” “Very stupid men,” River smirked. “See the girl, not the weapon. Think with the wrong head,” she added smugly. “I don’t wanna know,” Mal shook his head. “You two get cleaned up, ‘fore anyone sees you.” They nodded, and headed for the showers. Mal watched them go, arguing about who had done better. “You only killed five,” Jayne said loftily. “Was my idea,” River objected. “And you should kill more. You’re bigger.” “That ain’t got nothin’ ta do with it,” Jayne argued. “And besides, someone has to be the brains of this operation,” River added smugly. “And you’re not properly equipped for that job.” “So I’m stupid, now,” Jayne shot back. “I didn’t say that,” River’s voice was still smug. “Yes you did!” Jayne retorted. “You said I wasn’t ‘quipped to be the brains. Means you think I’m stupid!” “If you insist that you are stupid, ge ge, then I will not argue.” “Damn right you won’t. . .hey!” Mal shook his head in wonder as the arguing pair disappeared, their voices lost as they went toward the showers. “They argue like brother and sister, right enough,” he murmured to himself, securing the hatch. “It’s still creepifyin’,” he added a few seconds later, as if convincing himself. Still shaking his head, he started for the galley.