In Kriegel’s office, the self-darkening windows were active despite the fact it was late at night. Maybe he was paranoid, but he liked the extra assurance that nothing could see in. He paced to the door, double-checking to make sure it was locked. After a moment’s consideration, he unlocked it and stuck his head into the hallway. Not a soul was about in either direction. He closed and locked the door again, jerking the knob to ensure it was latched tight. He shuffled to his desk, checking on the three faces which vied for space on his com screen. One was still missing. He paced some more. “My apologies, gentlemen,” a slightly breathless voice from the com addressed the attendees a few minutes later. Kriegel saw the last space on his screen taken up by William Halmer, the administrator of the Security and Intelligence Agency. “Representative Locherbie’s hearings are taking up most of my time, as you know, and I did not get your wave, Representative, until a little while ago.” He bowed to the screen in apology. “Hearings my pi gu ,” Representative Soong Chu-yu, the chairperson of the Military and Security Oversight committee, cursed in quiet fury. “So, now that we’re all here,” he reserved a pointed glance for Halmer, “we all know by now that earlier today Dr. Matthias Harder was located on Paquin. Colonel, bring us up to speed,” he indicated to the other military man on the screen. “Yes, Representative. Yesterday we received a report that Dr. Harder was on Paquin. Apparently the doctor was hiding out with a group of traveling musicians. Commander Babcock of the regional command launched a raid this morning.” “Did we get him, Colonel?” Chu-yu interrupted, impatient with the details. “No, sir. We just missed him. He boarded a ship for New Melbourne.” “So, has a system-wide bulletin been issued? “Yes, sir. All local and Federal agencies in the system have been alerted.” “Good. He can’t get far, then. I assume you have information on the ship as well?” “According to the other musicians, the ship he booked passage on was a Firefly transport which landed nearby, called Serenity.” The parliamentarian’s expression froze. He stared hard into the com. Kriegel imagined the shock on Chu-yu’s face mirrored his own when he had learned that little detail. “Serenity?” “Yes,” the colonel confirmed. “That’s not possible. Serenity was reported downed on that com station rock.” “However, if you remember gentlemen, that report was filed by a Parliamentary Operative who deserted before his data stream was even fully uploaded,” Halmer shot an accusatory look at Chu-yu. The representative bristled. “Obviously the veracity of that report is suspect. The larger issue, though, is, if Serenity is still sailing under Captain Reynolds, and he has picked up Harder, what are the implications?” There was silence all around for a few seconds. “We think, perhaps, Captain Reynolds was attempting to set up a meet with Dr. Harder,” the colonel spoke first. “Go on.” “The ship was hired by the same person who called in the tip,” the colonel explained. “Commander Babcock has been investigating this aspect. We think Reynolds may have been trying to locate Harder through this contact, but the reward got the better of her. We’re still trying to verify that, but she’s been uncooperative.” “You’re suggesting a conspiracy? Reynolds and Harder working together?” “Yes, possibly,” the Colonel admitted. Chu-yu’s brow knitted tight. “Thank you for your insight, Colonel. Keep me updated.” Chu-yu pressed his com and the colonel’s image winked out on all their screens. It was just the three of them now. “How did Reynolds locate Harder when we haven’t had a viable lead on him for five years?” Halmer asked. “With the reward on his head, why would the contact even bother to set up a meeting? Wouldn’t she just turn him in?” “That sounds like exactly what she tried to do,” answered Kriegel. “Either that, or we have a leak,” Chu-yu surmised. Kriegel had a dawning feeling. “Ai ya. Huai le . We do have a leak.” The other two looked surprised. “If Serenity is still flying, we should assume that the Tams are alive as well.” Halmer’s eyes widened as he connected the dots. “River Tam?” Chu-yu proposed. Kriegel nodded. “We don’t know how much she knows, but she knew enough to lead Reynolds to Miranda.” “The public response to it might have emboldened him to push even more. If Harder cooperates with him…” Chu-yu extrapolated. “But he still won’t have any proof. It’ll all be hearsay from the mouth of a disgraced researcher,” Halmer countered. “River Tam would be all the proof he needs,” Kriegel corrected. “This is da tou fo !” Chu-yu exclaimed bitterly. “You realize this could lead to a security breach orders of magnitude larger than the Miranda wave. Then every hun zhang Border world politician like Locherbie with Independent leanings would have the moral justification to call for hearings and trials and investigations. It would threaten the security of the Alliance as a whole!” he lamented. “I will not stand for that!” His outburst dried up the conversation for a few seconds. The representative composed himself again in that space. “Harder and Serenity must be neutralized,” Chu-yu declared. “And if we fail?” Halmer asked. No one offered to entertain any notions of that possibility. “Major General, I’m putting you in charge of this. I’ll get in touch with the Fugitive Task Force and let them know you are to take over this particular operation by my mandate.” “What do you prefer?” Kriegel asked. “Capture alive Harder and River Tam, if possible. Harder may be more of a problem. He’s too dangerous to let him escape again. If you have no other options, terminate him. River Tam is a different matter. Do we still have some control over her?” “I will check with Dr. Qin, see what our options are,” Kriegel advised. “Do it. “What about Serenity?” “Reynolds is a Browncoat through and through. He’s not one to let the Independents’ cause die just because they lost the war. He’ll go down fighting. The rest of the crew are a liability,” Chu-yu shrugged. “Alive, if possible. Then we can at least interrogate them about what they know and who they told. But, do what you have to,” Chu-yu emphasized. “Yes, sir.” The wave ended without any parting from the representative. Kriegel drooped in his chair. He pulled out his stash of liquor and poured a generous glass. He punched in another wave code as he did. It took a long time for an answer, but, then again, it was late. “Ni hao .” The video was so dark Kriegel could not make out the face, but he recognized the sleep-slurred voice. “Dr. Qin. Sorry to wake you, but I have some urgent business.” “Oh, Major General. No, no problem at all,” the doctor composed himself a bit. A light flicked on, illuminating the man’s round face and unruly mop of black hair. “We may have located River Tam again,” Kriegel explained. Dr. Qin blinked several times. “I need to know what options we have to recover her.” “Um… yes, sir, well… River Tam was one of only a few subjects to make it through the program intact enough to be deployed. But even she did not complete it entirely before she escaped. We could try the same method used to track her down as before, sending out triggers across the Cortex.” It worked last time, but the doctor did not sound so sure of himself. Kriegel voiced that concern. “Well, the issue with it, besides the fairly low probability of success by sending random waves, is that she may not respond to the triggers anymore.” “Why not?” “Well, her conditioning is going to start breaking down, though some of it is hardwired into her brain, so it will go slowly. However, the triggers are not programmed into her. They have to be learned. Since she’s been gone nearly two years, there’s no telling if she will respond to them anymore. She may have forgotten.” “So you’re basically saying we have no way of definitively reaching her and it’s all a gamble?” Kriegel summed up. Sheepish, Dr. Qin shrugged. “Well, keep working on options, Doctor. This is highest priority now. I need you and your team on this right away. Dig into her history, find anything that might be useful.” “Yes, sir. I’ll get right on it.” “Thank you, Doctor. I’ll be down first thing in the morning for a briefing.” He turned off the doctor’s face and threw back his drink. It was going to be a long night. River crept downstairs on padded feet. She wore socks today, as the floor felt a little colder than usual. After a couple of drinks with the captain, she slept through the night last night, if not completely sound, at least without nightmares. She was still a little groggy this morning, but nothing like the hangover of a few days ago. She slid into the common area, finding Kaylee chatting with Anna on the couch. “So, bein’ able to move things with your mind must be pretty handy ‘n all,” Kaylee said. Anna smiled, a bit embarrassed. She was more accustomed to being treated like a freak of nature. The young mechanic’s honest interest threw her a bit. “Well, I can’t move just anything. Only really little things a little bit.” “Why not?” “It takes a lot of energy. Like, take lifting this cup, for instance,” she leaned over the table and picked up Kaylee’s teacup. “I have to take the energy in my body and release it to my muscles so they can do the work to lift the cup. I’d have to use the same amount of energy, but only with my mind, if I wanted to move it that way. We don’t think about how much that really is.” “Oh, I get it,” Kaylee’s eyes lit up. “So, if you wanted to, say, move Serenity, you’d have to make the same amount of energy that her engines generate, with your mind.” “Exactly.” “That don’t seem possible,” Kaylee twisted her lips in thought. “No. And even if I could release that much energy, it would probably kill me. Don’t know of anyone whose body could handle those kind of forces and live.” “So I guess we can’t use you as a backup if we lost power or somethin’, unless you had a compression coil built into ya.” “No,” Anna laughed. “Would be awful neat, though. So, what can you move?” “Small things,” Anna shrugged. “On the size of molecules.” “Like the air?” Anna nodded. “Air doesn’t have much mass, so it doesn’t take too much energy to get it moving. Plus, I can’t really tell things where to move, only get them moving.” “So how’d you do that cyclone the other day?” Anna was impressed by Kaylee’s curiosity, but she was running out of words. She had used up most of the examples Matthias had given to explain it, and even he was not completely sure how she did it. She felt a little stupid, not being able to clarify it better. “Umm, it’s kind of like lightning and thunder. I store up a bit of energy, and I release it all at once, like a lightning bolt, and it hits the air and makes it move.” Kaylee leaned closer, eyes eager. “Can you show me a little bit? Just once?” It was no wonder she was a mechanic, Anna thought. Her curiosity as to how things worked was insatiable. However, it made her feel special, almost honored, that Kaylee wanted a demonstration. “Okay,” she agreed. Kaylee sat back, excited and smiling. Anna closed her eyes and concentrated. Watching, River felt an odd tingling in her mind. It was that pins and needles sensation when her hands or feet fell asleep, but not nearly as painful, and it was dancing across the surface of her brain. A tension built around her. Although it was not visible, when she closed her eyes, she could almost see it mentally. A bubble of energy swelled around Anna like a dome. The bubble grew as the energy built, and suddenly it popped. The energy surged out into the room. A light breeze tickled Kaylee’s face and rustled her hair. She giggled with glee, clapping like a little girl. River felt the same light breeze kiss her face. She turned as it brushed past, trying to follow it as it flowed away, smiling. She turned back and saw Anna was smiling at her as well. “Ain’t that the neatest thing?” Kaylee declared. “It is.” “River?” Simon interrupted them. He was standing at the infirmary door. River recalled it was because he had summoned her that she came down in the first place. The two women watched as she walked past, their smiles fading slightly. “I sure hope your husband can help,” Kaylee’s worried eyes followed River into the infirmary where they slipped over to Simon. “Simon’s worked so hard, and he cares for her so much.” Anna offered a sympathetic smile. “He’ll try his best. It’s the least we can do after bringing all this trouble down on you.” “Oh, the Cap’n wouldn’t have hurt you,” Kaylee passed her concern off. “Yes, he would have,” Anna’s voice softened, looking inward. “If he thought we were going to harm any of you.” Kaylee looked down as well. She did not like to think of the captain as a bad man, because deep down she knew he was not. He just often did not have a choice. Just like River. She heaved a sigh and fell back a little on her cushion. “Why’s bad things gotta happen to such good people?” she asked in general. “I mean, I ain’t really religious an’ all, but Shepherd Book always used to say things happened for a reason. That God had a plan, you know.” She looked into the infirmary again, shaking her head slightly. “I can’t see why God’s plan would have to do somethin’ like that to such a sweet girl.” Anna laid a light hand on Kaylee’s knee. “We can always change our destiny. Look at me. I grew up on Regina. My momma and daddy worked in the mines. Figured I would, too. That’s just what you did. But I had a different dream. I wanted to play music. I worked hard, and I didn’t give up, and look where I am now. Sure, I got Bowdens still, but I got to live my dream, at least a little bit.” She glanced over to the infirmary. “She’ll get better,” she assured Kaylee. “Nothing is preset.” A hint of smile touched Kaylee’s eyes, and a hint of hope. Apprehension clung to River’s skin like a wet towel. She shivered. Her clothes felt too thin. She had guessed why her brother called her down, and she was willing to indulge his idea, because she knew it gave him renewed hope of helping her. Right now, though, she doubted how much more of this she could take. She agreed to let Dr. Harder read her to see what he could find. It was not painful, though physically she felt that little annoying sense of pressure, and an occasional flash of a thought or feeling from him. It was the reliving of all the memories that was straining her to the limit. Things she never wanted to think about again, she had to dredge up for Dr. Harder to see. She wanted nothing more than to hide in her flowery garden, protected from it all. But there was no way for him to see things unless she saw them, too. So she relived them for Dr. Harder, for her brother, and, she hoped, for herself. Teeth clenched tight, nails cutting into the plastic padding of the exam chair, she closed her eyes and remembered. Simon watched his sister endure the reading, mixed with both guilt and cautious hope. He knew it could help her, what Dr. Harder uncovered, but he saw the strain in her, and that tore at him. He always knew River was special in a way no one else seemed to notice. Right before she went to the Academy, just on the verge of her becoming a young woman, he really started to see it. The way her eyes captured things others missed, and how she listened with such intensity that it was like she was hearing something beyond the words. He remembered her last dance recital vividly. She moved with such mesmerizing beauty and grace. When he looked around, he saw that every other woman in the room envied her. Most amazing of all, she was not even aware of it. She never had a hint of arrogance. Sure, she could be a brat when it came to her intelligence, but that was just her way of teasing him, having fun. She always admired him, thought of him as the special one. He saw it in her face, which was the one thing she could never hide. That was why it hurt so much when he got her back and found her gone. All that was unique had been twisted, distorted, and warped. It tortured him to see her graceful movements now timid and uncertain, her eyes fearful and inward-looking. Part of him cursed himself as a failure for not being able to help. He wanted to be like her then. For one day, just one day, he often thought, if he could see her dreams, hear the words she could not speak, and bring it all out into the open, then he would know what to do. But he was not like her. He was a doctor. So he did what he could, all the while hoping and longing for the day when he might be able to bring back the sister he remembered. It was all he could do, and the reason he kept going. River uttered a little gasp and her eyes flew open. She breathed heavily. Simon tensed, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. In the meantime, Dr. Harder collapsed into the spare chair near the door. Strain was evident beneath his pale and sweaty brow as well. “Are you okay, mei mei ?” Simon asked, even though it was clear she was not. She nodded anyways. “I’m very proud of you,” he leaned down and told her, giving her hand a powerful squeeze. She squeezed back wordlessly. He stood up, regarding Dr. Harder and waiting for his report. The doctor sighed. “I’m so sorry,” he said, apology directed at River. His eyes were laden with guilt and sadness. “I was afraid of them doing things like this when I left, but I never saw it. I never imagined they could do it.” He shook his head, at a loss. “What did you find?” Simon asked. “She’s been through hell,” Matthias said with flat honesty. He took another deep breath. “The psychological trauma she experienced is… extensive. But, with time and therapy, she’ll heal, I think. If she’s endured this long, she has the strength to recover. The physical damage, though, that is permanent. But, the brain is plastic. It can adapt,” he said, not without hope. “Once the mental damage heals, the physical will be much easier to deal with. You’re a remarkable girl in more ways than one,” Matthias complimented. “Thank you for doing this. I know it could not have been comfortable.” River nodded but did not look at him. “Can I go now?” she looked up at her brother, almost child-like. The urgency with which she wanted to get out of the infirmary was plainly evident. “Yes,” Simon nodded. She disappeared out the door and up the stairs, Simon watching her the whole way. “I’m sorry to have to put her through more trauma when she’s seen so much.” “It’s okay. If you can help her, that’s what she needs. Besides, she had a choice this time.” Matthias nodded, but his face was troubled. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about, that I did not want her to hear.” Simon listened. “There was a part of her mind that I couldn’t read. It was a dark spot, something that was blocked from her consciousness. I couldn’t see it because she’s not aware of it. And whatever it is, she was conditioned not to notice it. I only realized it was there because, when I got close, I got caught up in all kinds of fear and avoidance that kept me from seeing in.” “Do you have any idea what it is?” Simon was growing more concerned. “I have a guess. I think it is where they put her conditioning. You said that before they activated her with a subliminal message. I think that is the only way to access it, with the right stimulus conditioned as a trigger. They created an alternate personality with the conditioning and kept it dormant until they needed it. It explains why she can’t remember what happened during the times she was acting under its influence.” “Why would they do that?” “Think about it. If you are going to create a weapon, what’s better than one who doesn’t even know what she is? One that you can turn off and on when you need to, and who will have no memory of what she does. It makes it virtually impossible for anyone to interrogate her and get any information, even under torture.” The cold, rational logic of it made perfect sense, and it made Simon sick to think on it. “But then why did she attack you and Anna if she wasn’t triggered?” “Maybe she was. A word, a phrase, even just a simple sound or smell could do it. They could turn any stimulus they wanted into a trigger as long as she was conditioned to it. That, or the conditioning is breaking down.” He frowned deeply, rubbing his chin. “That’s good, though.” Simon commented. “It’ll go away eventually then.” “Yes, but as her mind starts to reintegrate it, it might cause more problems.” “Like what?” “Like any memories she has from that alternate persona will start to come out. It could be very traumatic. And, without the triggers to control it, the conditioning could start to manifest on its own.” Simon recognized the danger now, a sinking feeling settling in his stomach. He recalled the conversation with the captain several days ago. “Maybe those weren’t the first times,” Mal had said. He started to fear the captain was right. Matthias was looking at him with an expression that was so like River that he knew the doctor had read his mind. “You think it’s starting already,” Matthias said. “Yes.” Simon looked at the floor. “A few days ago she had a flashback. She saw a dead man in the dining area and said she had blood on her.” “Did she recognize him?” “No, but it terrified her.” Matthias shook his head, laying a supportive hand on Simon’s shoulder. “We’ll keep an eye on her. As long as I’m here, I’ll help you to help her. There’s bound to be more, and she will need all the support she can get when it comes.” “Thank you,” Simon uttered his gratitude. “One more thing,” Matthias added. “This is only speculation, but given what I’ve seen and the bing tai of those at the Academy, I would not be surprised if they did it.” “What?” “When you create a weapon, you have to be able to stop it if needed.” “So the safe word makes her fall asleep. I know about that.” “No, I’m talking about if the weapon gets compromised.” Matthias’ look sent chills thrumming through Simon. “What do you mean?” “I mean a self destruct code. I don’t know for sure because if it exists, it’s probably part of her conditioning, where I can’t see. I just felt it would not be right if I didn’t warn you about my concern.” Simon’s throat dried up. All this time it was possible the Alliance could have sent out a message, just like the one in the Maidenhead, and simply killed her if they wanted to. For once he felt supremely glad that she was still so valuable to them. “I don’t like it, sir,” Zoe, sitting sideways in the copilot’s seat, shook her head negative. “I didn’t say I liked it, either. But our options are kinda limited.” Mal was at the helm. For now, Serenity was holding her position in space. Even though it was risky to stop moving, he needed the time to work things out before they went any further. “I still don’t see why we just don’t turn ‘em in. Be easiest thing to do.” Jayne lounged against the bulkhead, snacking on some protein chips. “Because it ain’t right. Besides, the Feds ain’t exactly the most trustworthy folk when it comes to handin’ out rewards for fugitives brought in by less than reputable fellows.” He fixed Jayne with a hard stare. “A million credits’d go a long way towards easin’ my conscience,” Jayne mumbled quietly, looking down. “Look, we’re not turning them in. End of discussion.” “He’s right, though. It makes the most sense.” “What part of ‘end of discussion’ didn’t you understand?” “See, even Zoe’s thinkin’ it,” Jayne garbled through a mouthful. “You’re damned heroic sense a’ honor’s all that’s holdin’ us back, Mal.” Mal bristled, face darkening with suppressed anger. “After all we been through with Simon and River, you two wanna throw these two to those hen du she yi ?” he asked quietly. Both Jayne and Zoe did not meet his eyes, guilty. “We stick with the plan,” his tone brokered no more argument. “If we get boarded, we hide ‘em. There’s plenty of places they can stay out of sight, no matter how hard the Alliance looks. We’ve smuggled things past them before.” “This is a little different, sir.” “Not so much.” “D’you think Chrysabel will buy it?” “Don’t really matter what she thinks. I hope to be well on our way to the next system by the time she finds out. Now let’s get a move on. The longer we sit here, the more likely the Alliance is to catch up to us. Find us a new course, Zoe. I’m gonna go brief the others.” “Yes, sir.” The plan was to make it look like Anna and Matthias had escaped in one of the shuttles. It took River and Kaylee more than two hours to improvise some sort of autopilot system for shuttle one. Without a nav computer, they had to point it in the right direction and just hope it flew straight. It would not matter too much, for there was no way it would reach any world before its fuel ran out, but it had to at least appear to be going in the right direction. Kaylee also patched together a remote to fire the engines once it was launched using the radio. Everyone clustered on the bridge, anxious to see if it would work. The heavy thump of the shuttle releasing echoed through Serenity’s halls. River eased the Firefly backwards until the shuttle was visible in the bridge viewports. “We’re clear,” she said, holding Serenity steady. Mal’s arms were folded, jaw tense. “Thank you for this, Captain,” Matthias spoke up. His voice was thick with genuine emotion. “Don’t mention it.” Mal did not turn around. He knew he had done the best he could, but they were costing him a perfectly good shuttle, and the most lucrative contract he had ever landed. He could not help harboring some resentment. “Now, if you don’t mind, you probably don’t wanna be on screen when I make this call, seein’ as you’re supposed to be on that shuttle.” Matthias nodded, split between gratitude and guilt. “We’ll repay you somehow, Captain,” Anna added in her musical voice. Matthias took Anna’s hand and they exited the bridge. “Kaylee, you sure this’ll work?” Mal asked. Jayne grunted the extent of his optimism. “Have a little faith in me, guys,” she protested. “I’d rather have a million credits in my pocket,” Jayne said mostly to himself. Mal sat down at the helm and was about to enter Chrysabel’s wave code when, uncannily, the console started flashing. He opened up the wave channel to accept the call, and the gangster of boats’ stormy face appeared on screen. “Captain Reynolds,” she greeted icily. “Miss Chrysabel,” he returned the same. “I assume you’re on your way back to return my fugitive by now. This is the last chance I’m giving you.” “Well… no.” “No?” “You see, there was a slight problem.” “Captain, if you’ve killed my fugitive…” “No, he’s still very much alive for now. Though, he didn’t take too kind to my attempts to lock him up. Kinda made a break for it.” “Captain, you’re in space. Where could he have possibly gone?” “He stole one of my shuttles.” “Captain…” “Xiao bu ren ze luan da mou , Miss Chrysabel. There’s no world close enough that shuttle can make it to. And I’ve got the transponder code right here. You can have the Alliance pick him up at your leisure, though I’d advise not too leisurely a pace. Shuttle life support ain’t unlimited.” “How do I know you ain’t playin’ me for a fool, Captain?” “Because not even a fool’d want the complications this little event’s put upon me. I don’t want no part o’ this. You hired me to do a job, and that’s what I’m gonna do.” Chrysabel regarded him with calculating assessment. “You’re not off the hook yet, Captain Reynolds. If he’s not on that shuttle when they find it…” “Well, that’s yours and the Alliance’s problem. If I was you, I’d go along with ‘em. Make sure they cut you a fair deal, you know. Alliance been known to be less than generous with its reward money.” “Well thank you for your advice. I’ll…” “Zen me de liao. Sir?” Zoe interrupted him just as the proximity alarm sounded on his console. “Alliance frigate, moving in fast.” “Captain, what’s going on?” Chrysabel was demanding. “I guess your Alliance buddies ain’t that into leisure. Sorry, gotta go.” “If you hang up on me again…” Mal did. “Everyone stay calm.” He turned to Zoe. “Get Anna and Dr. Harder someplace safe. Go!” He spun to his mechanic. “Kaylee, engine room. Get her warm in case we need to move fast. Everyone else except River off the bridge.” He waited for the extra bodies to clear out, then, with reluctance, he opened the wave channel again. The stark face of an Alliance officer stared back. “Transport Serenity, this is Commander Babcock of the Alliance frigate Lancer. You are ordered to power down and prepare to be boarded. Any sudden maneuvers will be construed as an attempt to flee and you will be fired upon.” “This is the captain of Serenity. No need for violence, Commander,” Mal tried to sound as nonchalant as he could muster. “We’ll glady hold for you and prep for docking. However, I believe what you’re after is on that shuttle of mine floatin’ out there. If you hurry up, you can probably catch him before he makes a run for it.” “Captain Malcolm Reynolds,” Commander Babcock started formally, ignoring Mal’s words. “You and your crew are hereby bound by law on the charges of conspiracy and harboring and transporting known fugitives through interplanetary space. All persons on board will assemble in your main cargo bay. You will turn over the fugitives known as Matthias Harder, alias Wray Shen, as well as Simon and River Tam. All of you will be transferred to the brig aboard the Lancer, and your ship will be towed back to Paquin and impounded.” Mal’s heart dropped. He looked to his pilot whose eyes were now big with nervous fright. He licked his suddenly dry lips, trying to put on his best innocently confused face. “Uh, I’m sorry, Commander, but we ain’t got no fugitives on board. As I just pointed out, the one that was just escaped in my shuttle, which I’d like to have back when you catch him, if you don’t mind. You can check with Miss Chrysabel on that as I just spoke to her. I’m sure she’s been workin’ with you to resolve this to her satisfaction.” “She has no standing in this matter. We are well aware of who you are and who your passengers are. You will comply with my orders, or you will be treated as hostile.” Mal’s thoughts raced. They were serious. He wondered if maybe Chrysabel had sold them out after all. At the moment it did not matter. All that mattered was getting away, somehow, but his playbook was running out of options. He watched the gray glint of the frigate, still several kilometers away, but closing fast. An idea came, and he shared a glance with River. Understanding dawned on her face, and her fingers started flying over the keyboard almost instantly. He had to admit, her being a reader came in handy every so often. His eyes drifted to the shuttle, still floating a ways ahead of Serenity. If there was anyone he could still have faith in, it was Kaylee. Mal waited, barely containing his nerves, until the Lancer was less than a kilometer away. “Captain, we have been unable to raise that shuttle. You will call over there and advise any of your crew on board to stand down. Do you understand?” Commander Babcock ordered. A faint smirk crept into the corners of Mal’s lips. The timing could not have been more perfect. “Certainly, Commander.” He reached for the radio, paused, and pressed the transmit button. There was a split-second of gut-wrenching panic as nothing happened. Then the shuttle’s engines ignited with a blue flare and it shot off directly towards the approaching frigate. “Commander, that shuttle just powered up and is headed right for us,” someone off-screen called to Babcock. “What?” “It’s on a collision course. Impact in fifty-five seconds.” “Shuttle, this is Alliance frigate Lancer. You will be fired upon if you do not alter course and power down.” “Forty-five seconds.” “Shuttle, acknowledge!” “Forty seconds.” “Target it. Shuttle, this is your last warning.” “Thirty seconds to impact. Target locked.” “Fire!” Commander Babcock ordered. “Go!” Mal shouted to River. She kicked Serenity’s jets to life and the Firefly blasted towards the frigate. River leaned hard on the control stick, diving them at an angle beneath the Lancer’s hull to avoid being targeted. “Sir, the transport’s making a run for it!” Mal heard over the wave before he shut it off. “Give her all she’s got,” he told River. He knew that the frigate would be coming around, and they were still well within range. “Kaylee, full burn on my mark,” he shouted over the com. “I sure hope you can do this without a nav sat,” he gave a River a dubious look. “Course locked, nav computer set, helm secured,” River called off. “Cutting jets… now.” She flicked off the ignition switches just as their consoles started screaming alarms. “Now, Kaylee!” Serenity’s rear end lit up and she tore off into the black, leaving the frigate in her plasma-trail wake.

pi gu- ass; rear end Ai ya. Huai le- "Oh no. It's ruined" da tou fo- complete mess (literally, "big buddha head") hun zhang- bastard; scoundrel bing tai- sickness hen du she yi- venomous snakes Xiao bu ren ze luan da mou- "Anger and haste hinder good counsel." Zen me de liao- "This is one hell of a mess."