The Return – Part 11

“Moonbase Armstrong, this is Serenity, come in Moonbase Armstrong,” Wash spoke into the long range comms. After a few seconds of static the reply came back, a female comms tech.

“Roger, Serenity, Moonbase Armstrong, over.”

“Roger, Moonbase, would like to have a word with Zoe Washburne if it’s no trouble, over.”

“Understood, Serenity. Call back in ten minutes, over.”

“Roger. Serenity, out.”

“Ten minutes,” said Mal, pondering, wondering what’s going on. “Guess she’s having dinner or something. One thing’s for sure, she ain’t in charge yet.”

“That plan was kind of a long shot anyways, Mal. I mean they got at least twenty or more armed men up there.”

“Yeah,” Mal replied. “At least, and we don’t know who’s with Jackson and who ain’t.”

“What about the folks with us?”

“Chin is Jackson’s man for sure, Miller too, if he wasn’t he sure is now after I punched his lights out. Tanya, I got a good feeling about her and the others. But you never can tell.” “What’s our plan, Mal? I mean, just few of us, we go blazing in there like at the Skyplex we might have a chance or all might end up dead. Awful risky.”

“Might need some reinforcements.”

“Reinforcements from where?”

************************************************* Kaylee, Tanya, Christine and Fred were cleaning up the cargo bay after the small party, moving chairs back to the passenger lounge and picking up empty beer bottles and food wrappers.

“You think they really have a spaceship?” Christine asked Tanya, the moon base’s resident aerospace engineering expert.

“Who knows?” she replied. “If they say it’s intact it may be possible to repair. Miller and his big mouth. He’s such a fool.”

“A pompous fool,” Fred added

“Capt’n don’t take kindly to people not following orders,” Kaylee told them. “Even hit Simon a few times in the past.”

That shocked everyone still and Tanya asked why.

Kaylee had opened up a bit too much, knowing it was too hard to explain about why Simon was on board Serenity and why the Capt’n had hit him without mentioning River, so now she had to backtrack a little or lie, not being very good at either. “Ah, cause he wasn’t following orders. That’s all I can say, sorry.”

“I called him a thief and said he was probably an informer for the Alliance,” Simon said from the passenger lounge door as he entered the cargo bay. “I was a passenger when I first came on board and didn’t realize what you all know now, that this is a ship of, to put it the way Mal does, ‘folks looking to make an honest living’. At least I got the first part right but Malcolm Reynolds has no love for the Alliance.”

“So we’ve gathered,” said Fred.

“You gotta understand,” said Kaylee as Simon came to her side. “Capt’n was in the war against the Alliance and saw a lot of bad things.”

“There was a war?” Christine asked in surprise and Simon and Kaylee briefly explained.

“War follows us everywhere,” Tanya said with sadness. After that they finished the cleaning job and then everyone decided they needed to rest. After some goodnights, Tanya, Christine, and Fred went off to their passenger rooms.

Simon and Kaylee sat in the passenger lounge, snuggling on the sofa. “Time for bed for us too, Doctor?”

“Your place or mine?”

“Yours is bigger. But lots of folks close by trying to sleep. Walls kinda thin down here.”

“You mean we’re not going to sleep?”

“Well, sure, I mean…after.”

Simon just grinned. “Let’s try yours for now. See which is better. Why don’t you get it ready while I brush my teeth and get some things?”

He gave her a long kiss and then Kaylee went off with joy in her heart. Simon entered his room and grabbed his washcloth and toothbrush and paste and went to the toilet. A few minutes later he opened the door a crack and was surprised to see Chin and Miller crossing the passenger lounge, heading to the cargo bay, both with weapons in their hands and determined looks on their faces.

************************************************* “Hey baby, how’s everything up there? Over,” Wash said to his wife across tens of thousands of kilometers of the empty void.

“Just a bit sleepy, had a long rest,” and then she yawned. Mal and Wash looked at each other in surprise.

“Everything OK, Zoe? Over,” Mal asked next.

“Sure thing, sir, everything’s peachy. Had the grand tour, everything’s just like back on Capricorn Moon, sir.”

Mal suddenly got very tense and Wash knew something was wrong.

“Sounds great, Zoe. We should be back tomorrow. We found some survivors and Simon wants to check them for long term radiation effects, over.”

“Okey dokey, sir. See you later, baby. Can’t wait to give you a big hug.”

“Roger that, baby," Wash replied, after a brief hesitation when he thought she was calling Mal 'baby'. "Serenity, out.”

“Gorramn it, gorramn it all to hell!” Mal said with clenched teeth and then added about twenty choice Chinese curse words.

“That didn’t sound like the Zoe I married,” Wash said after Mal calmed down a bit. “‘Peachy’ ‘okey dokey’ ‘give you a big hug’?”

“It wasn’t her, I mean it was but she’s under duress,” Mal answered as he stood behind Wash’s chair, thinking what to do now. Wash swiveled his chair around to face Mal.

“Duress? You mean they have a gun pointed at her head? Maybe she’s just tired.”

“Wash, you’ve known Zoe for what, seven years now, and has she even been tired after waking up?”

“Nope, always fit as a lion and ready for love, and war, too. What happened on Capricorn Moon?”

“It was during the war. It was a trap. Capricorn Moon was an advanced supply post for the Browncoats. Alliance force landed, one of our transmitters was captured and the operator forced to report that all was well. We landed and had a hell of a fight. Only few of us made it back to the ship to tell the tale.”

“And now you think….oh God!”

And Mal didn’t know whether Wash was saying ‘Oh God” because his wife was in trouble or because of something he saw. He was looking past Mal and his face turned pale, his eyes got big and then Mal turned and saw Chin at the top of the stairs, pistol pointed toward him. Before he could think or draw his pistol there was a loud shout “MAL!” and then a deafening blast on the bridge of Serenity and everything went red before Mal’s eyes.

************************************************************************ Simon left his toiletries in the bathroom and watched Miller and Chin as they entered the cargo bay and went up the stairs. Then he dashed across to the infirmary where his 9mm pistol he had carried earlier was lying on a shelf after he had removed it to take care of the injured Australia and examine the two pregnant women. He now drew the pistol and followed the two Alliance men. He knew exactly where they were headed and had no time to do anything except follow them.

Up the stairs and then down the fore hall Simon went and he saw them on the bridge stairs, Miller at the bottom carrying a machine pistol, Chin at the top, a pistol aimed forward and then Simon did it all without thinking, forgetting his oath as a healer and knowing he had to protect his crew and especially his lovely lady from these men. He shouted “MAL” and fired a split second before Chin did, aiming high, hoping to scare them into surrender. But it was not to be.

Simon’s bullet was a miracle shot, from the point of view of what would have happened if he had missed, hitting Chin dead on in the back of the head and exiting through his forehead, spraying blood and brains all over Mal and the bridge. The bullet bounced off one of the bridge window frame supports and landed on the deck. Chin’s gun had fired but the aim was off as the shooter was dieing, the bullet just missing Mal’s head, going wide and hitting a bulkhead and ricocheting into Wash’s left upper arm. The pilot screamed in pain and then dropped to the floor between his control panel and his chair. Chin just dropped like a stone and was dead before he hit the deck.

Miller was turning toward Simon, the machine pistol in his hands and Simon froze and Miller fired.

Click.

Nothing happened for a second as the elderly scientist looked in surprise at his gun and then Mal was flying off the top bridge step and his boots hit Miller in the back of the head and sent the scientist sprawling. Mal was on him in a second and had the gun out of his hands as Miller lay weeping on the floor of the fore hall.

“It was all Chin! I had nothing to do with it!” he shouted, pathetically cringing on the floor.

Kaylee came tearing up out of her bunk and stood in shock at the sights before her. Mal was covered in blood, Simon was pointing a pistol at him and her mind whirled in a thousand different directions.

“Capt’n! Are you hurt?!?”

“Ain’t my blood, Kaylee.”

“What?” then she turned to her man. “Simon? What are you doing?” she was looking at Simon but his eyes were far away staring off toward Mal and not even seeing her. Simon was still in shock at killing a man, just standing there pointing his gun forward.

“Simon,” she said in a more gentle voice and Kaylee touched his arm and he blinked and looked at her and the life started to come back into his eyes as he lowered the weapon.

“Owww!” came from the bridge. “Need a little help here.”

Simon snapped out of his trance more at the call for help. “Wash!” and he ran to the bridge, Kaylee following him, still wondering what the hell was going on and why Simon was acting so strange and why no one was telling her anything. Simon stepped over Chin without a second glance and went to Wash’s side, helping him up into his chair, pressing his hand on the wound to staunch the flow of blood.

Kaylee froze when she say the body and blood, knew more than she wanted, and just recoiled down the stairs to where Mal was picking Miller roughly up, the scientist still whimpering.

“See this?” Mal said, shoving the machine pistol into Miller’s face, Mal looking like the devil himself, Chin’s blood and brain matter still dripping off his face. “That’s called a safety. And you turn it this way when you want to kill someone, you !!” And he shoved the barrel into Miller’s face.

“Capt’n! What happened?!”

Mal was just going to kill Miller when he heard Kaylee’s voice from far away through his seething tide of anger. He took the gun from Miller’s head but still held him against the wall.

“Don’t rightly know. Seems we had an assassin on board and I was the target.”

“Who…who…killed Chin?” she stammered and she knew before Simon spoke.

“I did,” he said in a shocked voice as he led Wash off the bridge, not even looking at Kaylee and Mal.

************************************************* Miller sat in the passenger lounge with Mal standing over him with his pistol drawn, the other Alliance people sitting nearby, all in shock at this turn of events, scared at the look of horror Mal represented, the blood still on his face and clothes. Wash was on the infirmary examining table as Simon took the bullet out of his arm, Kaylee assisting him. It wasn’t deep and only required a heavy bandage and no stitches.

“Thanks, Simon.” Wash said.

“It’s my job,” Simon quietly replied as he bandaged the arm and Kaylee cut the bandage with scissors.

“No, I mean, for what you did…to Chin.”

A dark cloud passed over Simon’s features and Kaylee put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s gonna be alright, Simon” she said and knew it might never be so.

“It’s…I’m not supposed to kill people, I’m supposed to heal them,” he said in a quiet voice.

“Sometimes you have to do what is necessary,” Wash said gravely “When we rescued Mal off the Skyplex that was the first time I ever killed someone.”

“I didn’t know,” Simon replied sympathetically

“I ain’t ever killed anyone,” Kaylee said quietly. “And don’t ever want to.”

They came out of the infirmary when Mal called them. “Capt’n let me clean you up,” Kaylee offered, wanting to recoil from him but trying her best to be brave.

“Not yet,” he growled. “I want these folks to see what’s left of Chin’s brains.”

No one said anything for a few moments until Tanya found her nerve.

“Captain Reynolds, you don’t think we had anything to do with this, do you?” Tanya said the fear in her voice obvious. “Surely you must know we are on your side.”

“I am, too!” pleaded Miller and Mal pointed his pistol at him.

“Shut it or your next words be your last,” he said with venom. “Now I got me a dilemma. I got two traitors on my ship and there might be more. It weren’t for Simon here now I’d be dead and Chin be in charge of my ship. Thanks Doc, by the way. Nice shooting.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill him,” Simon said. “Just…I don’t know…it happened so fast.”

“He’s dead alright,” Mal said. “No matter what you tried to do. So, back to the main topic of discussion. I got three more Alliance people I ain’t sure about. So were gonna find out the old fashion way. Follow me everyone.”

He grabbed Miller by the collar and stood him up and dragged the whimpering man to the cargo bay, everyone following, fear in some of their hearts.

Mal went straight to the air lock and hit the controls opening the inner doors.

“Capt’n….” Kaylee started when she realized what he was about to do, but stopped when he gave her a horrible look.

“Mal, this isn’t right,” Simon said and Mal turned his glare on him.

“You got no call to tell me what is right or not on my ship Doc, especially when this man tried to kill me and you also and you got someone’s blood on your hands.”

“Mal,” Wash said calmly. “I gotta agree with the Doc on this one.”

“What’s going on?” Fred asked in a nervous tone. “What are you going to do with him?”

Mal just ignored them and shoved Miller into the airlock, where he fell and Mal pointed his pistol at him and kept his other hand on the inner door button.

“Start talking or out you go,” Mal growled at Miller.

“What? Out…there?” Miller stood and looked toward the outer doors and then at Mal. “Are you crazy?”

“Just about. Start talking!”

Everyone was silent as Miller looked from person to person, fear on his face. “You know me, I’m a scientist, I’m not a killer!”

“Why did you have the gun?” Tanya asked him.

“It was Chin…and Jackson! Chin told me he had orders to kill the captain and take over the ship! It’s all his fault!”

“Who else was involved, who else knew?” Mal asked sternly.

Miller looked at the others and shook his head. “No one, it was just Chin.”

“You know what? I think I just might believe you. But you could’ve stopped him,” Mal said. “You didn’t have to follow him. I guess it was payback for me slugging you cause you got a big mouth. Won’t have to worry about that again.”

And with that Mal hit the inner door button and as they slid closed, Miller dropped to his knees. “For the love of God!”

“I have no love for God,” Mal said grimly as the doors slammed shut and before anyone in the stunned audience could move or protest he hit the ramp button and the next thing they heard was Miller screaming as he was sucked out into space and froze to death an instant later. His body floated away and became part of the space debris field orbiting Earth.

After closing the ramp, Mal glared at the three remaining Alliance people. “Keep this in mind next time you get a notion to stab me or mine in the back.”

No one said a word, the horror of what just happened too vivid. Mal handed the machine pistol Miller had carried to Wash. “Clean up the bridge and get rid of Chin and then get to bed. I need a shower.” And he walked off toward the passenger lounge without even a look at anyone.

************************************************************************ No one could sleep, the horror of the events still starkly replaying themselves, more so for Simon than anyone else. Kaylee held him tight and comforted him as they lay on her bunk, Simon speaking on his horror at having killed a fellow human being. He hadn’t tried to hit him but now that he had he realized it had probably saved Mal and Wash and the rest of them. He understood that it had to be done but it was too soon, too close and the clean up had made it worse. He had wrapped Chin’s head in a sheet and Fred helped him carry the body on the stretcher down to the cargo bay, where Chin was dumped into the bomb bay and then released into space. Simon went back to the bridge and spent a half an hour cleaning the blood and brains and skull fragments up, not allowing anyone to help him, saying it was his responsibility, and secretly the others were glad he volunteered. Simon then gave Wash a shot for any infection and ordered him to bed, but Wash couldn’t sleep, his mind worrying on his absent wife and all that was happening. Finally he drifted off but it was not a restful sleep.

When Simon was done he went off to clean the blood from his hands and when he came back to the dining area Mal was sitting with Kaylee. The captain was clean and had fresh clothes on and he, Simon and Kaylee sat and had a shot of sake that had recently been liberated from the Melbourne shopping mall. Mal told them what happened with Zoe just prior to the shooting and they worried and pondered on their next move.

“What’re we gonna do, Capt’n?” Kaylee asked. “Everything’s going to pieces.”

“We’re still alive so there’s that at least,” said Mal.

“Can’t say the same for Chin or Miller,’ Simon said in an emotionless tone and Kaylee was worried on his state of mind.

“Simon,” Mal began. “I got no wisdom for you. I killed too many bad people and maybe even a few good ones to care much anymore. First time was hard but it was in battle and many of them we’re trying to kill me and mine so I got over it. You think on it that way and you’ll get through this.”

“It’s too…soon,” Simon said and rose and Kaylee stood with him and led him to her bunk.

Mal sat for a long time thinking on what had happened and what to do. He went to the bridge and the smell of blood and disinfectant was still strong. He should never have let Chin on his boat in the first place. I’m getting old and stupid. Shepherd Book once said to him that only the cautious grow old in the kind of life Mal led and the wisdom of the preacher was never more obvious to Mal. But he had one more stupid thing to do if his people were going to survive what was to come. He needed more guns, reinforcements, and there was only one place he knew to get them. He looked out the bridge windows and then saw the moon again and wondered what the hell was happening up there.

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

Right now Zoe was back in her room, explaining to Inara that everyone on Serenity was fine, not knowing what had just happened on their ship. She had been held at gun point in the comms room, Jackson and three guards standing over her, as she talked to her husband and captain. She took a risk giving her warning to Mal and Wash, hoping like hell the Alliance people didn’t know what she was trying to do. After a long sleep Zoe and Inara had awoken with groggy heads to discover River missing and their door locked. They quickly surmised that they had been drugged with the food and Zoe cursed her own stupidity in believing they would be able to outwit Jackson. She could only hope that the Shepherd had some how managed to get some help in his way.

Book and Jayne were unaware of all that was going on with the rest of their crew mates. After breakfast was brought to them the soldier who had spoken with Book about giving a sermon arrived with two armed guards and said Commander Jackson had given permission for him to give a service for the men who had died in the recent spaceship accident.

“I would be happy to say some words over the fallen,” Book replied.

“What about me?” Jayne asked, trying to be as pleasant as possible.

“No, Mr. Cobb, you are not permitted to leave this room,” the soldier answered. “Commander Jackson was very clear about that.”

Book could see Jayne about to explode again. “Easy, son. You will be set free from this cage before long. Have faith.”

“Long could be ten minutes or ten years, Shepherd,” Jayne growled. “Ain’t exactly a definite time. How’s about I just strangle these three with my bare hands and that be the end of it.”

The soldier stood back suddenly and the other two raised their weapons toward Jayne.

“Everyone calm down,” Book said in a soothing tone. “Nobody wants to hurt anyone. I think its time to let Mr. Cobb have some time to contemplate his rash remarks.”

“Yeah,” said Jayne.” ’Fore I bash in your skulls.” And he glared at the three soldiers before he went back to his bed and sat down with a disgruntled grimace on his face. Book just sighed and left with the soldiers.

************************************************** River awoke and was still strapped to the table in the same room. She left her eyes closed and pretended to sleep as she listened to someone talking.

“They’ve been manipulating her centers of emotional response, trying to make her highly sensitive to the feelings of others. I think we might be dealing with someone who has some kind of psychic ability,” said a female tech.

The next voice River knew and it was Jackson. “What kind of abilities could she have?”

River felt him in the room and searched out for his mind but she couldn’t control her abilities and as she tried harder they were failing her. The thoughts and memories came in flashes and if a mind was unguarded it was so much easier. Jackson’s was not such a mind.

A male tech answered Jackson. “The most common are related to what lay people call mind reading, but the degree of this skill is un-recordable. She may be able to interpret our thoughts, possibly know when things are going to happen before they do, or know what actions a person is about to take. Only testing will give us the answers.”

“Commander, they are ready for the service,” said another male voice.

“I’ll be there in a minute. Keep monitoring her and make a plan for testing her abilities.”

“Sir, I don’t mean to speak out of turn, but to what purpose?” the male asked.

“That does not concern you. Do your jobs. Soon we will be on Earth again, I promise.”

The door opened and closed again and River was alone with the med techs.

“All this trouble for one little girl,’ said the female tech. “What is he going to do with her?”

“I learned a long time ago that when the Commander says I don’t need to know then I don’t need to know,’ said the man.

“Do you really think we will get back to Earth?” she asked next, some hope and also skepticism in her voice.

“When that ship returns and we get all the data, then we’ll know,” he replied. “I for one am looking forward to fresh air and blue skies.”

“And the dead? Almost 20 billion,’ said the woman, very upset now. “What about his responsibility for that?”

“You better stop talking like that or he’ll do the same to you as he did to Wilkins and Smathers! And besides, the Russians attacked first. We had no choice but to launch the missiles!”

“We had no say in that decision! He murdered millions!”

“And he will do so again to get where he wants to be! Do you want to be one of them?”

There was a long silence, broken only by the hum of the monitors. Suddenly, the female spoke.

“And what of Serenity’s crew? What’s to become of them?”

“No one knows. But someone said Chin didn’t just go along for a sightseeing trip.”

River suddenly knew what he meant and what Chin was supposed to do. Her brain reeled in anguish for her brother and friends and she started shaking violently.

“She’s awake!” the male yelled. “Get me the hypo!”

River was convulsing, her body shaking as much as the straps allowed, the straps coming loose as she shook.

“Inject her!” the woman yelled.

“I can’t! She’s convulsing!”

“Her brain scans are fluctuating wildly!”

“Stick her anywhere!”

Suddenly all the brains scans went flat and River stopped shaking and stared straight through the male tech who was trying to inject her.

“Now you’ll see,” and in one motion she pulled her left arm up and through the straps that had loosened from her convulsions and she jabbed out and hit the male tech in the throat.

He gasped and dropped the needle on River’s lap as his hands flew to his throat and he staggered and fell to the floor. River quickly released her right arm strap, pulled off all the sensors from her head, and went for her legs next. The woman was just staring at her in stunned paralysis. River freed herself, took the hypo and stood just as the woman recovered and was reaching for the door. River’s arm flashed out, the needle struck the woman in the chest and the drugs went straight home and she collapsed in a heap on the floor. As River walked to the door she kicked the male in the face and he was instantly unconscious.

“Told you,” River said and she went to door and exited the room. Two guards were outside and before they could speak or yell River punched, kicked and disarmed them, with quick fluid motions, and then dragged their unconscious bodies inside the examining room. She grabbed one of the pistol belts and put it on, put the second guard’s pistol in the belt, and picked up the two machine pistols that they were carrying. She took one of their blue caps and stuck it on her head.

“Now I’m ready,” she said and she left the room into the empty corridor, her mind on one target, on one person, Commander Jackson. But first, she needed some muscle on her side and Jayne Cobb and Zoe Washburne fit the bill perfectly.

River strode like a cat through the empty corridors, quickly finding the main artery through the base and then the corridor toward the airlock and where she knew Jayne and Book were being kept. No one was about, all was silent, and as River reached the last corner she knew that this would not continue to be so. Jayne and Book’s room had guards outside and they would not be fooled if she was armed. She placed her weapons and cap to the floor quietly and then walked around the corner, pretending to be lost and acting like she was sleep walking. The two guards outside the room noticed her immediately as she approached.

“Hey, little girl, you lost or something?” one guard said to her.

The second guard raised his weapon. “Miss, you are not supposed to be here unescorted. Please stop.”

River stopped and blinked rapidly, “Where am I?”

“Miss, let me take you back to you room,” said the first soldier with a grin on his face. “Say, I heard one of those ladies is a professional prostitute.”

“She is and she’s very good,” said River sleepily. “What would like her to do?”

“Well, I don’t…” and he never finished as River was now within kicking range of the two guards and in swift blinding moves she rendered them unconscious and had Jayne’s door opened in a flash.

“What the gorramn...?” But he stopped remembering the listening devices.

Jayne held up a finger for her to be quiet, and helped her move the bodies inside. River left and then came back a moment later with her weapons and cap. Meanwhile, Jayne had been stripping the weapons of these two guards. They left the room and went down the empty corridor.

“Don’t know how you did it, don’t care,” he said quietly. “All I want to know is where’s Jackson.”

River ignored his question. “Where’s Book?”

“Saying words over some dead folks. I bet that’s where Jackson is.”

“First we get Zoe and Inara,” said River and they walked to the main corridor of the moon base, both heavily armed, and Jayne felt like all was right in the verse again. He had a gun in his hand and was free and he was with a pretty girl carrying guns who just kicked the hell out of two armed men. Things we’re definitely looking up.

********************************************************************* Inara was sick with worry over everyone and felt pretty useless sitting in her room. Her part of the plan, the seduction of Jackson or some other higher up, had never come to fruition and she now had a groggy head from the drugs that their food had been laced with. Zoe’s brief absence to talk to Wash and Mal and subsequent return only served to tell her that they were now prisoners. Zoe had asked the guards about River but they knew nothing or were ordered not to say anything. At least they were glad that everyone on Serenity was fine and there had been no trouble. She said a prayer to Buddha to protect all of them and guide their steps to the right path of freedom.

Zoe couldn’t chance explaining to Inara that she warned Mal and Wash about they predicament, not knowing if any listening devices were still in the room or not. As far as leadership went, Zoe scored low points but knew she shouldn’t be too harsh on herself. All that had happened so far was a series of unprecedented events for the crew and they were all in the dark, learning as they went. She worried also about River and kept her fears to herself, not wanting to upset Inara.

“What are we going to do?” Inara asked Zoe as they sat at the table, both down in the dumps.

“Captain will be back soon. Then we’ll be free, you see. Just a set back. Jackson is maybe a bit paranoid, doesn’t trust us.”

Then they heard noise outside their room, punches landing, bodies falling and then the door was opened and River and Jayne were dragging two guards into the room. Everyone lent a hand and kept quiet and soon they were in the empty corridor.

“About time,” Zoe said to Jayne

“Ain’t like we was taking a vacation,” Jayne replied, as he handed her a machine pistol.

“Where’s Book?” asked Inara as she gingerly held a pistol River gave her.

“Giving a sermon for the dead,” Jayne replied and looked at Zoe. “What’s the plan?”

“We should call Mal first,” Inara said.

“No time,” Zoe answered. “We got the element of surprise. If we go to the comms station, which I’m sure is still manned and guarded, we might lose the initiative. We find Book first.”

“And then kill Jackson?” Jayne asked with a leer.

“By all means,” Zoe said and they set off to find the Shepherd.

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

The unused dining facility served as the memorial hall for the dead, six tables placed in front of a make shift alter, six bodies wrapped in linen and laid out on the tables. Many chairs were arraigned in rows and Book guessed the majority of the base’s personal were here. He was handed a list of the dead so he’d know their names during the service. Also, on each table was a photo of the deceased. Lastly Commander Jackson entered with two guards and he took a seat of honor in the front row next to Gregori Kovalev and Captain Joseph Papusha. The captain had crutches and his leg was heavily bandaged. As Jackson sat Book strode to the altar and began the service, opening his Bible and placing it on the altar.

“I am Shepherd Book, recently arrived amongst you in unusually circumstances to say the least. I’ve been asked to say a service for the recently dead and I am honored you have chosen me. I did not know these four men and two women but I know you did and today we are gathered to honor their memory and the ultimate sacrifice they gave in trying to make life better for you. I shall read the list of the dead and then we shall observe one minute of silence in their memory.”

And Book read the list and as each name was called there were gasps and some crying, and then a long silence of one minute, interrupted by sniffles and tears.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away,” Book began after the minute had passed. “Who are we to understand His reasons for taking our brothers and sisters from us in our hour of need. The ways of the Lord are mysterious but we know that he has a higher purpose for us all. He has called his six children to his bosom and they shall reside in the house of the Lord for the rest of eternity. Do not lament their fates for they are in a better place and have found peace at last. For us the struggle of life continues but we should not be overly burdened with fears of what lies ahead. The Lord shall make a path for us to follow and will guide our steps until it is time for us to join our brothers and sisters in His house, Amen.”

“Amen” the room answered, most of the room anyway, and Book was certain there were a few Buddhists and Muslims in the congregation. Book then stepped forward and lay a hand on each table where the dead lay and read a passage from the Bible, passages of hope, of redemption, and lastly of salvation for those who ask for forgiveness and absolution. As he said these last words at the last table he couldn’t help but glance at Jackson and the commander seemed aware of Shepherd’s meaning but his cold façade did not change.

Next Shepherd asked if anyone would like to say anything and after a few moments Captain Joseph Papusha struggled to his feet on his crutches, helped by Gregori.

“I was captain and pilot of the Romanov,” he began in a sad voice. “It was a sound ship, well repaired. But I failed these people and I failed you, my friends. My skills could not save them. They died trying to reach the stars. Perhaps their sacrifice was not in vain, as we have found new friends and a new ship. Now with my wife Tanya they are exploring the Earth, looking for a safe place to live. God willing they should find this place and we will have a new life. As for the stars, they are not for me anymore.”

Gregori Kovalev was glaring at his son-in-law and then stood. “My friends we should not give up the dream of reaching Londinium. Serenity can do it!”

There were groans and shouts of ‘fool’ and ‘dreamer’ and Book suddenly realized all that had happened and of the split between Jackson and Gregori and why both wanted Serenity.

Jackson stood as Gregori sat in embarrassment and then all was silent.

“We have come here to say goodbye to our friends, not to debate this issue once again.”

Then with a bang the dining room doors were flung open and Jayne, River, Zoe and Inara stood there pointing weapons at everyone.

“I think it’s time we said goodbye to you,” said Jayne as he pointed his weapon at Jackson.

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

Mal awoke after a few hours rest and got everyone out of bed with a wake up call through the intercom system. Most could only manage brief naps, the events of the previous day still very vivid. After a quick breakfast at which everyone was a bit subdued, Simon especially so, Mal ordered Wash to fly Serenity back to Melbourne.

Serenity circled the Earth for a return to the airport at Melbourne with dawn just beginning over the mostly deserted city. As usual Wash managed to land perfectly, even in the semi-darkness, and the ship touched down near the scientific instruments, which Fred reported were still transmitting data to his laptop computer through wireless interface now that he was in range again..

“Now we wait,” Mal said. “Everyone to the cargo bay.”

Kaylee wanted to ask what they were waiting for but knew the Capt’n was making a plan and maybe he didn’t want everyone to know just yet. She trusted Tanya, Christine and Fred but she knew she had an overabundance of trust and sometimes her instincts were wrong about people. Her mind was also dulled by lack of sleep. She fretted over Simon all night and neither slept much, her man tossing and turning and mumbling in his sleep. It would take a long time for Simon to get over what he had done to Chin.

Mal went right over to the secret hiding place under the stairs and started taking out the weapons the crew had hidden earlier. “Give me a hand,” he said and they started taking out many rifles, machine guns, pistols, and the ammo for them. He had them stack the arms in the center of the cargo bay near the ramp. He then opened up a weapons locker and handed out guns to everyone, including the moon base people.

“I’m trusting you. Trust me,” Mal said to the Alliance people and no one had a chance to reply as a rap came to the door in the middle of the cargo bay ramp. Mal walked over, looked through, and opened the door.

“Just you,” he said and then after a moment Will Jones walked in.

“Gi’day ladies and gents. See you’re ready for war.”

“Got a proposal for you,” Mal said to Will.

“That right, Mal? What kind of proposal would that be? Not the marrying kind I hope, cause my Dora be pissed if it was.”

That brought a few smiles, even one from Mal. “Nope, nothing of the kind. I got me a little dilemma and I need you and your gang’s services. This shipment of weapons and ammo here be payment.”

Will walked over to the guns, picked one or two out of their crates, didn’t seem too impressed. “You know Australia was never a gun crazy culture like America or some others, but we got our fair share of weapons here about, left by the military and hunters and the like. So, why should I do something for you, which knowing life these days must be a bit risky, and get paid in something I can get for free? Get what I mean?”

Mal nodded. “Yeah, I get it. So what will you accept in payment?’

“Her,” he said pointing to Kaylee, who suddenly felt very small and her face was hot and flush.

“She’s not for sale!” Simon said defiantly as he stepped in front of Kaylee.

“Definitely not,” Mal said, his hand going for his gun.

“Whoa, lads, we don’t wanna kept her, just borrow her, get me spaceship up and running, see.”

Mal took his hand from his gun. “Might be able to arraign that. No guarantees she’ll get it working. Chance you want to take?”

“Well, she’s bound to get one or ten of these cars or trucks running if not the spaceship,” Will said. “Maybe a few petrol station pumps also. Whatever is possible we’ll take in payment.”

Mal turned to his mechanic. “Kaylee?”

“Sure, Capt’n, long as you guys are with me.”

“Looks like we have an accord,” Mal said to Will Jones. “But after the job is finished.”

Will thought about it, and then nodded. “Deal. Now, what’s the job?”

“How’d you like to go for that spaceship ride?” Mal said and Will Jones’ smile lit up the whole cargo bay.

“Where to, mate?”

“To the moon.”