The Happy Budda part 3

“ Captain…..Captain Reynolds…..Mal!!”

Malcolm Reynolds’ eyes came back into focus. The waving of Kaylee’s hand in front of his face had brought him back into the reality of the verse.

“ Zing ho Captain, thought we’d lost you there for a minute. Must be some really deep cranium waves going through that noggin to get you all zonked out like that.” Kaylee giggled. “ So where is Shepherd Book and what’s up with shuttle 2.”

“ Shepherd Book is back at the monastery in Persephone and the shuttle is with him.” The Captain answered.

“The Shepherd knows how to fly the shuttle?”

“It isn’t that hard Kaylee, but no he doesn’t that’s why Jayne is with him.”

“That should be interesting.” The mechanic finished. She looked over at the girl sitting to her right.

“ So Rachel, without being too nosey…….well Ok I’m being nosey what’s up with the woman “bad ass” look? Are you as kick butt as your clothes scream or is it just a means for scarring away those dirty awful things we call men?”

Both women laughed.

“ Actually it’s pretty much the garb I grew up wearing and working in. It was a tough life in a tough business so the clothes had to be as rugged as the person wearing them and it‘s what I‘m still doing these days.”

“ What business is that if I can take liberties askin?” Kaylee questioned.

“ The cattle business. I was raised on Shadow. Lived there till I was sixteen.”

Kaylee’s mouth dropped and Malcolm looked over at the girl with more interest.

“ That’s where the Captain’s from!” Kaylee spat out before she could get an approving glance from Mal.

Names and a few interesting points about ones past was Ok, but getting into ones personal history to deep especially with strangers didn’t make for wise decision making in the line of work the crew of Serenity was in. One main point, keeping the origin of ones home planet a secret. Best to keep those details among the crew. Anyway it was a done deal. Rachel looked over at Mal.

“ Oh really, small verse ain’t it!”

“Could be said so I guess.”

The line of conversation was dropped and Mal was glad about it. Rachel too didn’t seem to want to venture there further.

“ Well my brother lives on Athens now. Our parents died when we were young and he’s the one that raised me. It’s been five years since I’ve seen him, guess I’m overdue for a visit.”

The rest of the chat for the next half hour was rather pleasant and Mal and Kaylee both found themselves liking the girl.

“Right now I look a fright so if you would be so kind as to direct me to the wash up facilities Miss Kaylee, I would be very grateful.” She got up to excuse herself. “Night Captain..”

“ Good night Miss Rachel.” he answered.

Mal sat there contemplating the interesting points of his new arrivals. One he felt he knew better than the other but at the same time one expressed being from a planet with his same history. Odd was the way the wheels turned in a persons life wasn’t it?

Mal took to his own bunk.

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At breakfast time Kaylee and Inara prepared some food. Mal had taken over flight duties for a while so that Wash could rest and eat but now Serenity’s pilot was revived and back at the bridge controls. Mal came down and sat himself at the table. Rachel was there and so was Donavan. Zoe, Simon and River were on Athens so the two new passengers knew nothing about Serenity’s missing crew members.

“ So this artwork that you do Companion Don, excuse me……well…what should I call you.” Mal spoke with his mouth full of food.

“ Don is just fine Captain. So your question is?”

“ Do you sell it, give it away to enterprising young ladies or donate it to charity like to the orphans on Triumph moon?”

Inara was a little irritated at his question but Donavan took it all in stride.

“Well mainly what I do Captain Reynolds is sculptor. I’m talking life size statues. Most are used to decorate temples and the like but I guess if someone was to donate the right amount of charity as you say to a certain temple for a certain cause well I guess they could acquire a statue of mine. They are usually pretty big though and heavy, not a very easy thing to move around. But I have before.” The male Companion had a pretty powerful build.

“ I see.” returned the Captain of Serenity. “ Ever do the image of a live person, you know, not a saint. We have this fellow named Jayne ….” Mal laughed,” Stumbled upon a statue of him in town square back on Higgins’s moon one time and……”

“Sorry Captain no humans, my main subject is Budda. I pretty much stick to…..well maybe a couple others too….”

“ You should see them.” Inara came to the table to sit and join in on the conversation. “He is a regular Michelangelo.”

“ Michelangelo?” Malcolm pondered, “ Isn’t that the guy that did that fabulous chandelier piece that was at the shindig ball we attended a few weeks back Inara? That guy does some really amazing work!” Malcolm Reynolds just knew he’d impressed Donavan with that piece of knowledge. ‘Ol Don could likely tell now that just because he was the Captain of a transport vessel didn’t mean that he was a complete art buffoon.

Inara frowned at the Captain. “ You mean that famous cattle rustlers ball you dragged Kaylee to a little while ago.”

Mal could see that he’d out stepped his bounds. Time to be quiet and finish his breakfast.

Kaylee always enjoyed the fun stories told by the crew and passengers of Serenity at mealtime. That didn’t seem to be the case this time around. They all finished eating and the crew members set about doing the duties of running a pirate vessel…..or as it was known at the time, a transport ship.

Mal had asked Kaylee to take a look at the wiring to his cabin door when she was done with her regular tasks in the engine room. He was having a problem the door not closing all the way. There remained a small gap keeping it from shutting tightly. She told him it could be a while, she had plenty to do. She didn’t tell him she’d been showing Rachel around the ship a lot and she, Rachel and Inara had been spending loads of time talking. There was quiet a mess needed tending in Serenity’s heart, the engine room.

Unknown to the rest of the ships inhabitants Mal had a secret. Only one other person on that boat knew what he knew, and for the moment they were staying quiet.

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Before long Kaylee found herself headed for the crew corridor having finished her work sooner than she thought. First she checked out the control panel buttons. There didn’t seem to be any problems. Next she traced the wiring back toward the Captains bunk. The door was closed so she got down on her knees to examine the small space where it hadn’t shut properly. That’s when she heard someone talking.

“ Malcolm I’m sure we can trust her…!!”

“ I don’t know Donavan. I feel we should keep our secret a while longer.” The Captain was saying.

“ Our relationship is pretty sturdy. I feel Inara could handle the news……”

Kaylee couldn’t believe her ears. The Captain and Donavan? NO WAY!! Her mouth hung open like she was actually catching fireflies. Just then there was a sound of movement coming from the bridge. Kaylee made haste to get back to the engine room. She felt numb. Holy mother of sardines, she couldn’t believe it. She was shocked to her soul.

End part 3