Big Blue Chapter 8

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Disclaimer: Joss, Fox, Universal Own em’. (Except for Allan. He's mine) I’m just playing. No money being made.

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This story takes place almost three years after Serenity (BDM) and has the established couples of Simon/Kaylee, Mal/Inara, Zoë/Allan and Jayne/River. Follows immediately after Out to the Blue.

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A/N: This chapter's a bit short. But I gotta leave ya with a cliffy.

Thanks again Chris for the Beta.

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Big Blue

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Chapter Eight – Dogfight

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Zoë and Allan were out of their bunk in seconds, Allan tugging on his shoes and Zoë still buttoning her shirt. Mal vacated the pilots chair as Allan entered. Zoë made her way to the co pilots chair.

“What'd we got Capn'?” Allan asked as he settled in the chair.

Mal pointed to a blip on the sensor display, “Right there, bout' eight thousand miles behind us.”

Allan looked at the dot on the screen, “No transponder or pulse beacon. Getting a hit off the hull only,” he commented.

“What I figured as well,” Mal replied.

“How long has it been there, sir?” Zoë asked.

“Noticed it just before I called. Caught my eye when it followed our course change.”

“Not closing the distance,” Allan mused, “Probably figuring on hitting us deep in the night cycle. They must be assuming that we synchronized our cycle with New London. Most likely hit us after midnight.”

“My reckonin as well,” Mal replied.

“They probably figure we haven't detected them.,” Allan said, thinking out loud, “They're outside normal firefly sensor range. If we go full burn, they'll know somethings up. Best to watch em'. Once they start to close, we get ready. Probably want to disable us. Most likely with a missile carrying an EMP warhead.”

Mall nodded, “Got an idea?”

“Start o' one,” Allan replied, “Better have Alisha lay on the coffee... Gonna be a long night.”

“Captain Reynolds?”

“Come on in, Major,” Mal replied to the Alliance officer.

“What do we have?”

Allan filled him in on the situation.

“I concur,” Reggie replied, “Makes the most sense tactically. Considering the armament's of the ships the Blue hands are using.”

“What are they using?” Zoë asked.

“Howard class planetary patrol cutters. Modified for deep space.”

“Armaments?” Allan asked.

“Best we've been able to find out... four missiles and a single fixed forward firing 20mm railgun.”

“Oversized fighter,” Allan said.

“Essentially,” Reggie replied, “Just a bit bigger than a standard Alliance Gunship.”

“More maneuverable than Serenity,” Mal said.

“We have the advantage of the turret for our gun, “ Allan said, “ But with it belly mounted, we do have a blind spot.”

“We have more missiles,” Zoë commented.

“That we do baby,” Allan replied, “ And we can reload. That gives me an idea.”

XXXXXXXXXX

“Begin closing the distance,” The leader ordered his colleague.

“Closing” the man said.

“Even if they maintained a watch, they will be in in range of the EMP missile before they can detect us.”

“Very good,” the other blue hand replied.

XXXXXXXXXX

Allan sipped at his coffee. Zoë was dozing in the co pilots chair. Mal doing the same in the Navigators chair behind Zoë. Reggie Michaels, sat on the floor, leaning against the bulkhead.

Allan looked at his watch. 2 am, ought to be anytime now... he thought.

The sensor display began beeping.

“Here we go,” Allan said as Mal and Zoë started awake.

“Where?” Mal asked.

“Six thousand and closing, “ Allan replied, “Zoë, rig out the pod.”

On the belly of Serenity, the lower hatch slid open and a box extended below the keel. From the bottom of the box, a twelve foot long multi-barreled gun emerged. On it's flexible mount, it began to move about. Up, down and 360 degrees around as the on board computer ran the automatic diagnostics.

“Zoë, slave the missiles to my console. You've got the gun and the countermeasures,” Allan ordered.

“You sure about this?” Mal asked, standing next to Allan.

“Yep,” Allan replied tersely, “Kaylee, you ready?” he called into the com.

“Jus give me the word ge-ge,” Came the reply.

“Four thousand and closing,” Reggie called from the navigators station. Assisting with the sensors, “Accelerating now, two thousand, one thousand... Missile away!”

“Kaylee, stand by, “ Mal ordered.

The missile didn't strike Serenity. It didn't have to. When it detonated one hundred feet away, the energy released caused electrical discharges to dance all over the hull. The ships lights dimmed for a moment then extinguished. Only backup power was on. Slowly Serenity began to tumble.

Grim smiles on their faces, the two blue hands prepared to dock with the disabled ship.

“You got em, Zoë?” Allan asked.

“Infrared's got em locked,”

“Told you that EMP shielding would work Mal,” Allan gloated.

Mal chuckled, “These hundan's won't know what hit em.”

“Thats for sure, sir,” Zoë said from the other station, “In gun range.”

“Three second burst Zoë,” Mal said quietly.

As serenity slowly tumbled, the gun on her belly tracked the approaching ship. At Zoë's command, the five barreled weapon began to spin and spit 30 mm tungsten slugs at the approaching ship. Before exploding, the small ship was cleaved nearly in two by the intense stream of metal.

Everyone on the bridge shared a smile as they saw the flash of the exploding ship through the bridge windows.

A sudden beeping caught Allan's attention, “Shit! Incoming missiles! Kaylee! Light her up!”

“Where?” Mal yelled, “Where did they come from?”

“Another ship, behind the first!” Reggie called from the nav station, “Must have hidden in the sensor shadow!”

“Go ge-ge!” Kaylee's voice called across the com.

Allan firewalled the throttles and Serenity shot away from the cloud of debris from the first ship.

“Range?” Allan asked, concentrating on flying.

“Twenty miles and closing,” Zoë replied.

“Stand by on the cluster launcher baby.” Allan ordered.

Mal kept his mouth shut. This was Allan's show now.

“Ten miles.”

“ECM on full power”

“Jammers on,” replied Reggie, “Still targeted on us.”

“Might want to get everyone to hang on Mal,” Allan said calmly.

Mal nodded and grabbed the overhead mike, “This is the Captain. Got two missiles on our pi-gu, best be hangin on to somethin.”

“Five miles,” Zoë called.

“Fire two cluster rounds on my signal,” Allan replied.

“Three miles.”

“Fire,” Allan said as his thumb pushed the button on the yoke that launched a spread of flares and radar reflective chaff from the back of the ship. Zoë stabbed the button that fired what was essentially a huge shotgun mounted just above the bulbous rear of Serenity. The cloud of golf ball sized tungsten spheres spread out in Serenity's wake.

A brief flash of light in the darkness of space announced the death of one missile.

“Still one back there, less than a mile,” Zoë called.

Allan triggered more flares and chaff and hauled the yoke into his gut. Serenity's frame groaned under the sudden course change as the ship climbed steeply from it's previous trajectory.

“Zoë, set the gun on special auto! It'll shoot anything moving within five miles of the ship!” Allan called.

The gun on Serenity's belly began to track the missile. It's computer compensating for the twists and turns Allan was throwing into Serenity's flight path. Once, twice, three times it fired before falling silent... out of ammunition. Still the missile tracked the ship.

Allan slammed Serenity into another radical course change, “Where is it?”

“Not sure,” Zoë replied, her eyes a bit wide, “Wait, got it on the aft camera... “Go-se... can't be more'n a hundred yards back!”

Allan glanced at the image on the monitor. He swore under his breath as he saw the light from the missile's motor wink out. Serenity banked away hard as the missile detonated after it's fuel had been exhausted.

The ship shook with the impact of shrapnel from the missile.

“Kaylee! Damage report!” Mal called over the com.

“Losin fuel Capn'!” she called back, “Two cells are hit, tryin to pump it ta' the others afore it all vent's ta' the black!”

“Keep on it mei-mei,” Mal replied, “Where's the other gorram ship?”

“One fifty behind us, closing” Reggie replied.

“With at least two more missiles,” Mal said, “We got time to reload the gun?”

“Doubt it sir,” Zoë replied.

“I got it Mal,” Allan said quietly as his hand hit the nacelle override lever. Serenity's left engine pod swiveled 180 degrees and the ship swung about in a perfect Crazy Ivan. Mal was slammed against the lockers behind Allan's chair. Releasing the lever, the engine swung back and Serenity shot back at the ship chasing them.

“Qingwa cao de liumang! What in the sphincter o' hell are you doin, Allan?” Mal yelled as he picked himself up off the floor.

“Takin out the trash.” He said simply

Mal swore under his breath. The last time he had heard Allan say those words, the older man had nearly been killed when his own ship had been damaged by the explosion of the pirate ship attacking serenity.

“Baby?” Zoë asked.

“Just a minute dear,” Allan said quietly, “Might want to hang on to something.”

Mal grabbed the back of Allan's chair.

“Bang... you're dead,” Allan said as his finger stabbed the missile launch button. Four smoke trails accelerated away from Serenity. A moment later the Blue Hand's ship disappeared in a flash of light as Allan gently banked Serenity away.

Calmly Allan set the autopilot to bring the ship on course for Deadwood. Pulling the throttles back to cruise power. Allan slowly swiveled the pilots chair to face the rest of the bridge crew.

Zoë noticed a sheen of sweat on Allan's forehead and he looked pale. She then noticed Allan rubbing his chest.

“Baby?” she said as she rose from the co pilots chair.

“I think you better get Simon up here,” Allan whispered. Just before collapsing on the deck at Zoë's feet.

“Allan!” yelled Mal and Zoë in unison.

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TBC