Damaged Goods - Part 4; You Reap What You Sow

Prologue:

Malcolm Reynolds is in trouble. That about sums it up!

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Damaged Goods Part 4

A man entered the front door of his modest living quarters on the simple moon of Velxar, near the planet of Whittier. It had been a long day and he was ready to prop his feet up and rest his weary bones. He was looking forward to enjoying a quick meal and a short, but quality filled visit with his family before bedtime.

“ Daddy!” A young girl of maybe six years of age ran in from a side room and gripped her father by the leg.

“Hello my little diamond.” The man spoke to his young daughter. “How was school today?’ The girl frowned. She didn’t like school, the man knew. Then he thought how odd it seemed that his younger daughter Gabriella hated school, and yet her older sister, Amanda, had loved it.

His thoughts continued on to his eldest child. She would be fourteen now, and possibly at the head of her class at the government run school of academic studies. Certainly a smart girl, a genius in her father’s eyes. He felt a swell of pride rolling up inside his chest. Two years gone, he missed her so.

A pretty, dark-haired woman came and stood leaning against the doorway of the family’s kitchen. She looked at her husband, arms folded across her chest.

“ Work called.” She spoke. “ Sent a wave. An emergency down in sector-6. Something about fresh air not making it’s way up the ventilator shaft. Want you to return ASAP.”

He smiled, took the woman in his arms, and gave her a light kiss.

“ Looks like a cold supper tonight,” he said.

Her expression hardly changed. Only the wisp of a smiled. She knew that in a moment he would be returning to his job. Did she like it? NO! Was it necessary? Maybe. All that she truly knew was that her husband spent numerous hours in the service of his employer, time that she wanted him to spent with her…. and his family. Time that she hoped one day they could get back.

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Jacob Tate was a technical wizard when it came to fixing things. He had been employed by a private company for sixteen years to help with the air-processors out on Velxar moon. His wife Molly had accompanied him.

Terraforming on this small sized world had not gone as planned. Certain mineral deposits, and peculiar mysteries had kept the moon from reaching it’s full habitable potential. There was an atmosphere on the surface. Breathable O2, but it was thin and had kept most of the land area from being settled. The problems were still being worked out, though, with the successful Terraforming of other systems. Velxar was pretty much deemed a failure and not of much interest to the governing body. Even so, seventeen thousand people still called it home.

The politics of the situation had nothing to do with Jacob. He was employed to fix the difficult technical issues that plagued the little moon. The job had afforded him an ability to raise a family, although, like most folk on the static world, their existence was not mirrored by the wealthy who lived in, “The Valley of the Kings” as it was humorously nicknamed.

This was an area affixed to the Cliffside of a wide canyon where the most prominent of Velxar’s society afforded their mansions. The air was thicker there than on other places around the surface, therefore it had been claimed by the rich and powerful. Jacob was often called up to do maintenance and repairs at the private residences of the ruling society, and so to say, it was where he gained most of his information about what was going on in the verse.

Magistrate Blankenship had seen favor in telling him that his elder daughter, Amanda, was doing well and was about to be transferred to a facility of higher education. Jacob was overjoyed at the news. This had him work even harder knowing that his little girl would possibly return home one day, and maybe help the family attain a better existence. Of Jacob & Molly, prouder parents on Velxar, there were no others.

Jacob Tate left his home that evening to do his duty and fix the problem which was delaying Magistrate Blankenship’s evening of entertainment. Guests were beginning to arrive at a party of which only the wealthy of the moon had been invited.

“ And we can’t have them sweating in their tuxes and long social gowns now can we Jacob.” Blankenship gave his loyal employee an appreciative swat on the back knowing that the technician would be successful in accomplishing his mission.

“ Can you imagine the stench?” The Magistrate laughed.

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Malcolm Reynolds sat across the table from a little child no more than four foot, eight inches tall. He looked at her intensely.

Had his stare been focused on someone like Jayne, well, the big mercenary would have been squirming in his boots. As it were, the little child only looked at the captain with innocent eyes, apparently unaware of the physiological drama his look was trying to place upon her.

“ So! Miss Amanda Dee…..”

“ Actually it’s Amanda: D-1621-945-722. That’s my file number. My real name is Amanda Tate!” She informed the captain while munching down on a bit of lunch Kaylee had prepared for her.

Mal was caught off-guard by the manner and the seeming intellect of the girl.

“ Ok, Amanda D, for one thing, tell me how you managed to subdue a transport group of bright, highly intelligent government doctors and Alliance military?”

The young girl looked at him as she took a bite of her delicious toasted tart…..

“ Chloroform.” She murmured without the single bat of an eye. “ It was easy to prepare, and no one had any idea that I could use the return vent in my room to intoxicate the entire ship through the fresh air system.” She explained matter-of- factly before taking another bite.

River smiled at the deep connection she had with this girl.

Malcolm Reynolds was in trouble. This girl was defiantly smarter than he was….. how was he to get through the interview without embarrassing himself in front of River, and Inara, who’s just come into the galley?

“ Ok, I’d have probably done it that way myself…” He lied, then continued… “ So, I see the idea was to have us come to your rescue…..” He glanced over to River, “ But you have to know that I can’t keep you on this boat.”

“ I don’t want you to keep me on this boat Captain. “ She paused with a smear of strawberry filling across her face. “ I want to go home. I want my family,” she said looking at Mal.

“ And where might that be?” Serenity’s commander asked.

“ Velxar.” She stated, “ ….and besides, there’s still the matter of payment by treasure to come to you,” she finished.

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Jacob Tate was led though the lower tunnels of the Blankenship home estate accompanied by a security escort. The guards drove around twists and turns until they arrived at a section of the complex that was afforded for maintenance purposes only. Jacob knew the area. He had been there many times to fix the air and cooling systems of Magistrate Blankenship property.

Velxar moon was a network of tunnels and mining shafts. It was honeycombs with many portals from decades of mining. The “Valley of the Kings” area had been mined extensively and had pretty much been cleaned out of any remaining materials of value long ago. The mining operations had been moved to other parts of the moon. This is what made the canyon area such an excellent place to live in. It was cooler, the air was thicker and the noise from the mining colony operations was miles away.

Jacob climbed off of the rover. He entered a connecting shaft and began his work. In ten minutes, fresh air began streaming through the ventilation system which, up in the mansion, caused a deep smile to line itself across the Magistrate’s face.

Just in time, as the more important of his guests were starting to arrive, Blankenship thought.

On the way to the surface, Jacob had to stop and sign-out on the ledger so that he would be paid the overtime for his labor, which amounted to little. He noticed again the giant vault which harbored the mysteries of Velxar Moon. He sure wished he could know what was behind there.

As it were, only Magistrate Blankenship and the elite were allowed the privilege of knowing what existed beyond those big steel doors. He finished and headed back home.

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Malcolm Reynolds was in a fix. He was teetering on the decision of what to do next when Amanda spoke up and swayed the plan in her direction.

“ Mr. Reynolds sir, I swear if you return me to my home on Velxar I can promise you riches that will allow you to operate your vessel for a very long time before needing to look for other employment.” She stared at the captain with wide open eyes.

“Gorram Mal! That’s all I need to hear to say we should go ahead with what the girl’s sayin!” Jayne again voiced his opinion as the big mercenary had returned to the ship’s galley along with Simon, Kaylee, Book and Zoe. Now all of Serenity’s crew were present, save for Wash.

“ Yeah, and only a few moments ago, we’d been told that if we boarded a crippled vessel we’d be in possession of a jewel. Am I the only one seeing this?” The captain said.

“ She is a jewel.” River spoke of her friend, “ Only, the kind which is felt in the heart, not the hand.”

River’s poetry and philosophy were not only becoming a pain in his ass, but also an ache in his head.

“ Enough with the play games” Mal said. “ Either this time we get something that will fuel my ship, feed my crew and pay us a little for our troubles, or we don’t spill forth the effort.” He spoke sternly.

“ I can assure you sir, You’ll get what’s coming to you.” Amanda spoke without a glimmer of emotion.

Mal wasn’t sure he liked that answer.

End part 4