Damaged Goods Part 2, The closer you get….

Prologue:

Malcolm Reynolds, owner-commander of the Firefly transport vessel Serenity has been influenced by the youngest team member aboard the boat, River. The young Tam has ways of knowing things that both baffle and intrigue the folk aboard Serenity. Truth is that they are sometimes scared of the girl. Yet it’s a fear that has really given them no cause for throwing her and her brother out.

After all ,they do need a doctor onboard, and Simon is a very fine one. And Mal, despite his rugged posture still knows right from wrong. Simon’s sister though, remains a bit of a mystery. As long as the doc keeps her in check there is no reason for Mal to drop them off at the nearest colonized planet. River’s abilities may provide an advantage for the team. Everyone aboard is there for a reason. Does River give the crew of Serenity the edge? They may find out…..

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Damaged Goods Part 2

Mal Reynolds, along with his pilot Wash, on Serenity’s bridge, eyeballed the craft floating before them with suspicion. The ship was tiny……even smaller than Serenity by almost half.

“ Seems serine enough.” Wash spoke.

“Yeah, not to my liking.” Mal added not taking his view away from the vessel.

“ Ship’s scan shows that her communications are down. There’s no way for her to produce an outbound signal. Only way for someone to know she’s here is to bounce a signal off her and track it back to the vessel themselves.”

“ Advice from an old tracker Wash. You wanna find someone, use your eyes.” Mal spoke one of his favorite bits of testament.

“ May be a trap. Do a scan of the surrounding area. See if someone is about other than our friend here,” the Captain ordered.

“ Already done. Didn’t find anything bigger than a beach ball. There’s no one waiting to jump us. The ship seems to be alone and stranded. Just like River said,” Serenity’s pilot confirmed.

Mal hesitated a second. It had come to that moment. The moment he always found most difficult, commitment. Go in or stay out…..the Captain always felt better once the decision had been made. Seems Mal could always function better in extreme conditions if he had committed himself to the job. He could think and give commands and forge on through. This is what made him a good captain, and why his team mostly followed his lead without question, well most of the time.

Mal retrieved the com from the overhead panel.

“ Crew, this is the Captain. We’re going to attempt a communication link-up…keep alert!” He returned his attention back to his pilot.

“ Wash, hook up the external com leads. Let’s talk with these people. See if anyone onboard is still alive.”

Wash hit the buttons. The exterior com leads attached themselves magnetically to the other ship’s hull. Wash gave the nod that it was done. Mal again gained the overhead com.

“ Ship to Ship, this is the Captain of a rescue vessel……anyone there in need of assistance?”

There was a long pause.

“ YEAH! I’M HERE!” An excited voice came over the connection.

“ Identify yourself!” Mal ordered.

“ Corporal Doriday, crewmember of the light transport Felix Ray. We’re in trouble sir! We need help!”

Wash did a quick cortex scan of the Felix Ray. His findings matched up with the vessel in view before them.

“ What kind of trouble son!” Mal spoke over the connection.

“ I don’t know sir! The crew’s all unconscious! Communications are down! I don’t know what happened!” The fear in the young man’s voice was unmistakable. Either he was a very good actor, or his life threatening predicament was undeniable.

“ We’re here to assist you son. Make ready the link hatch.” Mal ordered the Felix Ray crewman.

Mal switch the overhead com to Serenity communication only.

“ Zoe! You and Jayne get ready. Kaylee, get Simon and River in the port hideaway. Everyone else, be ready for anything!” Mal looked over at his pilot. “ Wash, make the link-up connection!”

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Fifteen minutes later:

The door drew slowly aside while the crew of Serenity watched as a single individual came into their view. Mal, Zoe and Jayne all had their weapons drawn, aimed at gut level. The lone crewman of the Felix Ray threw his hands up, his eyes becoming as wide as saucer plates.

“ Just me sir! I’m alone!”

The corridor he stood in showed a solid wall directly behind him. The passageway opened up unrestricted both to the right and left. The crew of Serenity couldn’t see much down either side. Mal motioned with his pistol for the crewman to move aside. This done, Mal entered the passageway alone. He scanned the corridors both left and right. They were empty. Mal relaxed a bit.

“ So, what’s going on here?” He questioned of the young corporal. Hands still raised, the crewman answered.

“ I don’t know sir. I woke up from my bunk and everyone was out cold. They’re still alive, just unconscious. Communications are down, and I don’t know where we are. Thank God you came along.”

You should be thanking River! Serenity’s captain was thinking.

“ Ok crewman Doriday, hands down!” Mal told the young fellow.

“ Number of crew aboard?” Mal continued his questioning.

“ Five sir, including myself!”

“ Cargo?”

“ Something in the vault. I haven’t the clearance the know that information.”

“ That’s alright son, we already know what it is.” Mal smiled. He motioned to Jayne.

“ Tie him up.”

The crewman looked confused. Mal decided there was no reason to keep crewman Doriday in the dark.

“ This isn’t only a rescue son…..” He paused, “It’s also a robbery.” Mal smiled.

The Captain of Serenity found the rest of the crew of the Felix Ray, all living, and tied them up. Then they were locked inside a rear cabin for safekeeping.

Mal had Jayne escort Corporal Doriday back to his bunk and chamber him inside. At some point, when Serenity’s crew made their exit, it would be rigged so that Doriday could escape and free the others. Mal and his crew were here for theft, not murder.

Jayne joined Mal and Zoe on the bridge of the Alliance ship.

“Ok the deed is done, now where’s the treasure?”

“ Ain’t found it yet.” Mal informed the big mercenary.

“ Can’t be too hard to find. Just look for a big vault!” Jayne’s statement of the obvious was ignored by both the Captain and Zoe.

“ The ship’s manifest shows that they were transporting something, It‘s listed as “Damaged Goods”. Storage area, B-Deck,” Zoe read from the computer screen.

It wasn’t until they examined an upper level hallway that they found a door secured against access. Combination dial right on front.

“ Well, we haven’t any time to waste on getting this open. If the Felix Ray has been out of communication awhile there might be search parties already on their way. Jayne get the acetylene torch. Time to open this baby up and see what’s inside.”

“ Sure thing Mal!”

All three Serenity crewmembers had wide grins on their faces. The Captain called behind the big merc.“ Remember we’re in a bit of a time crunch here so…… !”

The Captain’s words stopped abruptly. There stood River. Opposite end of the hallway.

“ River?”

“ No need for the blow torch Captain. I can get you inside,” the young Tam informed him.

Mal whispered to Zoe. “ Remind me to have a talk with our young mechanic when we’re through. She was supposed to be keeping an eye on the girl.”

The young Tam went to the combination-dial and in a matter of seconds there was a “click” and the lock was free.

Jayne, Zoe and Mal smiled in anticipation. The door opened and there………on a low lying bed sat a surprise that none of them were expecting. A young girl, younger than River even, and wearing a charcoal-cartridge respirator pulled tightly across her face. Even through the mask, the crew could see a big grin develop across the child’s face. She ran to the young Miss Tam and hugged her deeply.

“ WHAT THA HELL IS THIS! WHERE’S THE TREASURE??!!” Jayne exclaimed.

“ Right here.” River said still holding the girl.

Just then a message came over the com system.

“ Mal! Something just showed up on radar! If you’ve got the treasure better get it aboard quick, if not well ……”

Wash’s voice resounded with definite desperation.

End Part 2