Life Onboard Serenity: Second Terraformed Planet to the right.... by Choo1701

*cold*
*bone cold*

Ertia's eyes blinked open and she rolled over. Every inch of her body ached, the ground like ice against her bare skin. She was back in prison, beaten down and tortured.

No, there were stars above in the night sky? Where?
What?

"Hello?" She whispered to the dark of the forest, but there was no answer. It was night, and all was silence.

Rolling over, she felt something, sticky and limp, against her bare skin. Pulling back, she raised up enough to look down, the glitter of moonlight creasing the dark shadow, identifying the bloodied, destroyed shape of something... some animal?

Her muscles were trembling, and pain shot through her body as she tried to stand, causing her to pitch forward onto the mossy forest floor. A hand touched her face and came away dark with blood. Another slid down her thigh, and she turned her mind away from what she knew had happened.

How did she get here?

Crawling, she found clothes, a shoulder bag. Inside was a com-unit, square and black. Trying not to weep, she pressed the button, "Hello? Hello? Is anybody there?"

"E!" A voice somehow familiar. Yet not so much. Who? "Hey! We were just wondering where you two crazy kids were! You getting back to the ship soon?"

E? Who was E? Who was the voice? Something danced on the edges of her memory but was gone, "I... think ...I'm lost..."

The voice, distant, not talking to her, "I don't know, Captain. She doesn't sound so good."

A new voice, crisp, and clear, "Hey, Ertia, Mal here. I got no notion to be playing games today. I need you and Pain back on the ship, pronto."

"Mal?" Who was Mal? Who was Ertia? Pain. Pain she knew. She couldn't escape pain; it was shredding her apart. Her voice whimpered over the com, torn from her raw and aching throat, "No games. Mal? Help me...please..."

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Thursday, September 28, 2006 6:43 PM

*Something about Ertia's tone of voice worried Mal. He replied into the com*

Alright E we will. I just need to know where you are.

*Mal clicked the com button and said to Wash*

Do those portable coms have anything in them to help track down someone?

*Wash thought about what the Captain said and replied*

Uh yeah they have a transmitter inside the casing. I just need the serial number on the case to activate the transmitter.

Meanwhile in orbit on the other side of the planet....

*It was dark yet warm where Pain was. The sounds that he heard weren't those of nature but those of a ship. Pain tried to open his eyes but his eyelids felt heavy, the drugs used to tranq him still in his system. Pain felt something cold and metallic around his right wrist. He gave it a tug and was rewarded with a metallic rattling. He thought to himself*

Ok I'm on some kind of ship and I'm handcuffed to something. Ertia? Where's Ertia? Did they bring her as well? Is she onboard the same ship as me?

*Pain decided to speak*

Ertia? Bao bei are you here? Speak to me babe!

*There was nothing but the hum of an engine from somewhere in the ship. The drugs were making Pain woozy and made him fall asleep. Pain didn't even hear the sound of the door opening or the person who placed a plate of food and a glass of water nearby. He didn't even notice the child that was in the room, touching one of his arms. The person however did and shooed the girl away from her father. The person and the girl then left the room, the windowless door closing behind them.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WWJD: What Would Jayne Do?

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Thursday, September 28, 2006 8:01 PM

The strong voice again, assured, comforting, "All right, E. I need you to do something for me. On the side of the com you've got there's some numbers. Read those off for me, mei mei."

Silence. Numbers. He called her little sister. So she knew him? She held out the com, black against the starlit sky, "I...it's dark... I can't read."

Patiently, quietly, the voice came back, reaching through the electronic speaker, "That's all right. You gotta focus now, mei mei. You run your hand along it, find those numbers, feel what they are... you read 'em off."

It was a command. Calm and solid, something to hold on to in the maelstrom of her confusion. Her fingers were trembling, and she gasped for air as she searched the little box, "8..7..No. It's upside down... 8 L 0 5 4 3 T..no..Y.. it's a Y.. 2 2."

"You got it, Wash? Okay, mei mei, we've got you. Where's Pain? Is he there?"

"I'm all alone." Tears welled and overflowed, the numbness and shock receding in the wake of overwhelming fear and terror. "I'm all alone."

"No. No, you ain't." The voice on the other end of the com, "We're coming for you, E. You just hold on. We're coming."

Back onboard Serenity, Mal turned around and punched the shipwide, "I need a team to fetch Ertia. Sounds like she's in a world o' hurtin. Zoe? Doc? Choo? Better take some extra muscle with you."

that's right, kids, I'm back. And we apparently have a secret to uncover, some reavers to destroy, and a 'verse to save?)

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Thursday, September 28, 2006 8:20 PM

Good to have ya back erita, heard from anyone else...

"Its yellow..." Choo said.

"yeah...and?" John asked, "It was free."

Choo stood there, staring at the Hover Mule john had brought in.

"You coming or not?" Zoe asked as she got in the passenger seat, "besides, jayne drunk himself unconcious..."

"yeah...he'll feel that in the morning." remarked John as he started the engine.

Jumping on board Choo climbed into the back. Simon passed him a medi kit. "Becareful, she might have hit her head too hard." he advised over the roar of the engines.

"Thanks for the tip," Choo shouted as the Hule zoomed out of Serenity and into the cold night.

"Knives said he'll get some help from some of the townsfolk, " John said as many lights appeared in the woods, "And Mal's informed the others of the situation, Had them put some of the planet on land lock as well..."

"Properly already gone." noted Choo.

"If not, we'll be ready for them," Zoe said as she loaded up her gun.

Meanwhile Simon entered the infirmary to find Nico nosing around. "Um...Can i help you?"

Nico looked up, a bit embarresed."Sorry, was playing hide and seek with the long haired girl."

"That would be River, she's my sister. I'm Simon. And i think you should know, she is very good at playing hide and seek..."

Watching from the vent above River gave a small smile while listening in....

-----------------------------

What they do to E and Pain!!!

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Thursday, September 28, 2006 8:37 PM

OoC: ok, now I'm lost. I've gone from talking to zoe to playing hide and seek with river. Did I even get introduced to Mal first? Sorry to be bothersome, just that things have skipped forward a bit fast for me.

**************
If you find yourself getting too worked up about stuff that isn't real (RP Threads etc), then go outside, breathe in some fresh air and try feeding the ducks. (Because ducks don't care about your politics, religion, skin colour, choice of music or even your haircut. They like everyone, provided you bring them food.)

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Friday, September 29, 2006 5:14 AM

Sorry, Nico. I've been beaten and raped and have trauma-induced insomnia, otherwise, I'd love to help sort out that whole who-was-I-talking-to-again issue.
I'm afraid you'll have to get used to it with these folks. I was once in the engine room, the cargo bay and the galley simultaneously while talking to Zoe, Book and Pain respectively. *shrug*.

I'm afraid LOS is not the most consistent game on the face of the planet. :)

She managed to find a t-shirt and pull it on, but it was sliced, gaping open over her body. A bright light and a hum through the trees alerted her, and she ducked down, curling her hand tight around the com.

A hover-mule hummed into the clearing and settled.

"Ertia? You here?" A warm womans voice called over the hum of the motors.

A man climbed down, a flashlight in his hand, swinging around the dark clearing. "Here she is."

She stared into the beam of light, a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car.

"It's okay." Choo reassured, but stopped suddenly, "Ew! What IS that?"

Zoe's light swung around, and she grunted, "Looks like 13's pet.. Rani, or whatever. Just ... step over it."

Ertia just stared at them. "Who are you?"

Zoe glanced back over her shoulder, a surprised look at John and Choo. "Don't you recognize us?"

"She's gone." John's voice answered quietly, "Listen. There's only chaos."

He cocked his head a moment, then leaned closer, "Can you tell me who think you are? What's the last thing you remember?"

Ertia blinked at him, thinking for a long moment. "My name's Sam. Samantha Diggory. I... went to prison..."

Tears overflowed and mixed with the blood that trickled down her cheek. "How did I get here?"

"Hooo boy!" Choo whistled out a long breath, "This is gonna be an interesting story."

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Friday, September 29, 2006 6:11 AM

diggs

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Friday, September 29, 2006 6:34 AM

Diggs?

I'd hitched a ride with the first-mate (Chloe?) and her little rescue squad. It seemed strange how Chloe always spoke of things such as traumatic amnesia and vicious rape as normal occurences in their lives.

As the merchant-mercenary tried to get through to 'E,' or Samantha Diggory, I scouted out the area.

"Wait," I said. "Where's the man? Pain?"

Chloe and merchant looked up, faces stricken.

"Tah mah duh," the merchant swore. "Whoever did this to E must've taken him."

I nodded, and knelt down beside E/Samantha.

"Samantha. Do you remember anything? About the man you were with? About who did this to you?"

A leaf crackled in the forest surrounding us, and E/Samantha jumped, fear painted on her face. I slid a small mousegun (concealed in a small holster on my inner right forearm) into my hand, gripping it tightly.

"Samantha?"

She shook her head wildly, eyes jumping back between me and the others. It was then that I recognized her.

"You're the fugitive that the Alliance was hunting! The computer programmer!" I sighed deeply. This would make things a bit more interesting. "Faked your own death, along with-"

"Me." 13 stepped from the forest, a bladeless sword-handle in his hand. "Fly's on the way."

I screamed inwardly. Was it a curse? Was my luck so awful that I would take passage on a ship that housed two known fugitives?

OoC: Iin case you've been wondering, the reason Szats' doesn't know about River and Simon is because he hasn't been introduced. More on those interactions later.

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Friday, September 29, 2006 8:15 AM

Onboard the Tiger Claw, in orbit on the other side of the planet...

*Pain woke up, the drugs in his system finally losing their effect. There were lights on in the room. They weren't bright enough for him to see the entire room, but they were bright enough so that he could tell there was a plate of food and a glass of water nearby within easy reach. Pain took the plate in his free hand and sat it down in his lap. Pain made a face at the food and thought*

Great I get cold protein to eat. Yay.

*Pain noticed there were no utensils, shrugged and dug into the protein with his hands. The shackel on his other arm had enough play in its chain to let him use his other hand to eat. Pain swallowed some cold protein, grabbed the glass of water, and drank some of it. It was room temperature and tasted a little funny but Pain drank it anyways.*

Meanwhile on the bridge..

*Melanie stepped into the bridge as the pilot said*

So ma'am what're we goin' to do with our passenger?

*Melanie thought it over. She really didn't know what to do with Pain, but said to the pilot*

We keep him alive for the time being. I'll assume his crew will be looking for him soon so I suggest we move on to our job on hand.

*The pilot nodded and said*

Yes ma'am Captain. Coordinates laid in for Beaumonde. At full burn we should be there in 12 days.

*Melanie nodded and replied*

Good I'll be in my quarters.

*Melanie turned about face and walked off the bridge as the mid-bulk freighter left the planet's orbit and headed for Beaumonde.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WWJD: What Would Jayne Do?

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Friday, September 29, 2006 10:34 AM

sorry Nico. My fault, won't happen again folks :( ...

Zoe and Choo stared down 13, a million questions racing through their heads

"John, Szat, get Erita back to the infirmary, we'll follow behind..."

"Sure thing Chloe," said Szat as John gunned the engine. The remaining three shared a look.

"Gotta remeber to introduce the crew..." muttered Zoe as she pulled out her comm link. "This is Zoe to Serenity, do you read."

"loud and clear my cute little warrior woman," Wash remarked, Zoe closed her eyes, wishing he hadn't said that.

"We found her, might want to tell the others to call off the search. John and Satz are coming back with the Erita, tell the doc shes got one hell of a case of memory loss."

"Dong-ma." said Wash as the comm link went dead.

Zoe and 13 exchanged a look, before Choo remarked, "Well, that was intersting. While we head back someone mind telling me what the frak that was about?.."

please do, i'm kind of confused :(....

-----------------------------

TRAIN!!!

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Friday, September 29, 2006 11:53 AM

EXPERIMENT62

*steam rolls out of the engine room when a 2ft shadow in seen, no metallic noises are heard. the figure ducks behind to pick up an item of intrest to the creature, and puts it onto its head... the steam slowly dissapears*

a peglegged, hooked, most probably severly brain damaged 62 walks out with a hand made cutlass and rapidfire musket in hand.

"crew..board the ship!!! oh... right... it be time to take back whats mine... arrr!!" mumbles 62 sidestepping some strange new guy that too stupid to notice a pirate bogey walking pass...

had problems connecting to site.. but gonna be on often now.. as a pirate until takes pity on da fool

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The meaning of life is 62

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Friday, September 29, 2006 12:32 PM

BIGWOLF18

so how are inara and book gonna be leaving? and are we gonna kill off wash and book or not?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

we are THE FORSAKEN and we aim to burn!

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Friday, September 29, 2006 1:22 PM

OoC: The original version of this post was written hastily, so I'm taking a bit of time to re-write it, so that it'll hopefully read better and make more sense.

Nico blinked a few times, trying to clear his thoughts. One minute he'd been about to drink what had smelled like a wonderful cup of coffee, the next thing he knew, he was playing hide and seek. Thinking that it must have been an after-effect of the alcohol or whatever it was that had caused him to end up out here in the first place was more or less confirmed by the sight of some 'thing' shambling past, appearanty believing itself to be a pirate, complete with cutless and peg-leg.

Shaking his head in amazement, he turned to chase after the doc, who might be able to help him identify what what had happened to him. As he did, he glanced up at the vent where he'd seen River. Sure she was good at hide and seek, but nobody can spot people who are trying to hide than someone who education involved a fine-tuned paranoia that helped him to be constantly aware of where people were in relation to him. That and his studies of Earth That Was had included reading someone's doctoral dissertation on a theoretical physicist called Gordon Freeman who'd (for reasons unspecified) spent a lot of time moving about through air vents. He'd been fairly certain of where she was, but the flash of white teeth in his peripheral vision as she smiled gave a definite location.

"You coming down from there? I need to track down your brother. Any idea where he might be headed?"

**************
If you find yourself getting too worked up about stuff that isn't real (RP Threads etc), then go outside, breathe in some fresh air and try feeding the ducks. (Because ducks don't care about your politics, religion, skin colour, choice of music or even your haircut. They like everyone, provided you bring them food.)

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Friday, September 29, 2006 8:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bigwolf18:
so how are inara and book gonna be leaving? and are we gonna kill off wash and book or not?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
we are THE FORSAKEN and we aim to burn!

thought Inara had left (only been mentioned once since i started...). Book...perhaps drop him off with Knives people, place hasn't got a name, maybe it is Haven?

Not sure about killing off Wash and Book...certainly be intersting, but...

-----------------------------

TRAIN!!!

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Friday, September 29, 2006 8:39 PM

Out Of Character Post!

1) I vote no on killing Wash & Book. Running the story-line is one thing, but if we, as players, have no power to change the outcomes, then where's the fun in that?
I mean, it's bad enough that we can't come up with an original storyline to play. We don't need to destroy the 'feel' of Life Onboard in the process, do we?

2)In "Serenity" Kaylee explains that it's the Captain, his turn towards darkness, and the desperation that Serenity has fallen into that helps drive Inara and Book away, that Simon & River will be next, and, I think Kaylee's implying here that she wants to leave as well.
We haven't let OUR Serenity fall into that darkness.. well..okay, we did, and I actually left for a while...but Mal won't fall into that despair, because he has US. We keep Life Onboard Serenity breathing and feeling.

When the idea of playing out the BDM came up some time ago, I voted it down, because a)it's all been done. and b) I like the haphazard, angsty/silly feel of our Life Onboard Serenity and didn't want that to change. If that's the direction we're going to go, lets see how fresh and new we can make it. :)

2)Inara is still very much onboard. I see no reason to make her leave... if it's necessary for the Operative scene, we could always have her just helping out at the training house for a while.

FULL POINTS TO 13 for attentiont to details! WELL DONE!
Yes, Ertia has reverted back to when she first went to prison. As far as she knows she's still married to Diggs..

Nico, this "That and his studies of Earth That Was had included reading someone's doctoral dissertation on a theoretical physicist called Gordon Freeman who'd (for reasons unspecified) spent a lot of time moving about through air vents." made me spurt hot-chocolate all over my screen. I hope you are proud of yourself!

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Friday, September 29, 2006 9:01 PM

Sammy clung to the edge of the hovercraft as it raced back to Serenity. She didn't know who these people were. And the things they were telling her... she'd faked her death? Was she a fugitive?
No no. She'd taken the plea bargain.
She had a choice and she took the bargain; the bargain between heaven and hell. What had she done?

"I'm sorry." She whimpered to the men, "I don't know you. Where are we going? Where are you taking me?"

"Back to the ship, bao bei." John's voice was reassuring, even though it was yelling over the hover-craft engines.

"Not back to jail?"

"No. Not to jail." Zsat said warmly, "We're getting you to a doctor."

They came to the cargo ramp and reeled to a halt. A beautiful woman rushed forward, "Ertia! What happened?"

The sweet scent of jasmine incense enfolded her, and a warm shawl was wrapped around her shoulders. Sammy stared at her in amazement and confusion. She couldn't speak of what happened, wasn't entirely sure she knew what happened.

"Inara." John shut off the engines and hopped down, "She's lost her memory."

The beautiful woman looked between the two men in disbelief, "What? I don't understand?"

"That makes two of us." Sammy was cold and she pulled the shawl closer, acutely aware that she was mostly naked and that she hurt all over. "I ... don't feel very good."

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Friday, September 29, 2006 10:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SameErtia:
Out Of Character Post!

Nico, this "That and his studies of Earth That Was had included reading someone's doctoral dissertation on a theoretical physicist called Gordon Freeman who'd (for reasons unspecified) spent a lot of time moving about through air vents." made me spurt hot-chocolate all over my screen. I hope you are proud of yourself!

OoC: What's the point in having my character studying Earth That Was if I can't throw in references like that? Although in some future ones I may choose to muddle up the facts even more, rather than just having PC game characters thought of in the history books as real people.

Additionally, if people want to come up with their own take on what Nico did (or had done to him) during his blank period, they're welcome to, but only if it's from a NPC (ie, the doc doing a blood test, security camera footage, river reading stuff from his mind or the like).

**************
If you find yourself getting too worked up about stuff that isn't real (RP Threads etc), then go outside, breathe in some fresh air and try feeding the ducks. (Because ducks don't care about your politics, religion, skin colour, choice of music or even your haircut. They like everyone, provided you bring them food.)

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Saturday, September 30, 2006 7:56 AM

JOHNTHETHEATREFREAK

Have to go but I wanted to just say hey everyone. I think Ertia saying we should be able to change the outcome is right but I'd still like to do it. Finally I think that Knives and John's planet is not Haven. To many weopens.

johnttf

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Saturday, September 30, 2006 8:20 AM

Onboard the Tiger Claw...

*Hours had passed since Pain finished his meal. He wondered when his next one was going to be as well as where he was and how he was going to escape. Pain tugged on the chained connected to the shackle on his wrist, trying to see if he could snap it from its anchor. It wouldn't snap no matter how hard he tried it wouldn't snap. Pain thought to himself*

Gorrammit what kind of metal is this thing made out of? I'm closer to snappin' my wrist than snappin' this ruttin' chain.

*Pain stopped as the door opened and the two armed men who where standing guard outside stepped in, accompanied by Melanie. The two men aimed their guns at Pain as Melanie stepped forward, a key in her left hand, and said to Pain*

I take it you enjoyed your meal Pain?

*Pain gave Melanie a sarcastic smile and said*

Yeah cold protein is my favorite.

*Melanie smiled and replied*

I'll tell that to the cook. I'm sure he won't mind making you cold protein while the rest of us dine on actual food. Now don't try anything stupid as I unlock your shackle.

*Pain replied in a cool tone, not once laying eyes on the two gunmen*

I already did somethin' stupid.

*Melanie cocked an eyebrow and replied*

Oh and what was that?

*Pain smiled and said*

I slept with you.

*Melanie's smile faded as she backhanded Pain, the sounded echoing off the walls of the room. Pain rubbed his jaw and said*

I see you still got some kick in that backhand of yours. Of course it did feel a little weak. I hope you ain't slippin'.

*Melanie brushed off Pain's remark, nodded to one of the gunmen to stand behind him, and said to Pain*

Enough of your idiotic banter. There's someone I'd like you to meet.

*Pain felt the barrel of an assault rifle dig into his back as he replied*

And who might this person be? Ooh is it the Prime Minister of Kiss My Pigu?

*Melanie smiled and said*

No Pain unfortunately the Prime Minister couldn't make it today. He was busy raping that little whore of yours.

*Pain heard a gunman laugh as the one behind him said*

Yeah she felt real good too. Kind of a shame we had to hurt her.

*Anger flared in Pain as he whirled around and punched the man hard in the mouth. Pain smiled as he heard and felt the man's front teeth snap and splinter. The next thing Pain felt was the butt of a pistol slamming into the side of his head. The blow knocked Pain unconscious and caused him to fall to the cold steel floor. The gunman held his other hand to his mouth, blood oozing out as he said*

That hun dan broke my teeth. Let me plug him right now Melanie.

*Melanie turned to the man and said in an authoritive tone*

That's not an option right now. Go to the infirmary and have the doc check you out.

*She turned to the other man and said*

You help me drag Pain to my quarters then fetch some bandages from the doc. Dong ma?

*The other man nodded and helped Melanie drag Pain down the corridor to her quarters.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WWJD: What Would Jayne Do?

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Saturday, September 30, 2006 8:51 AM

Kinky pain, VERY kinky ;) Thanks for clearing some of the stuff up Erita. Great Help. And its really good to have everyone back

13 closed his comm. Turning to the others he said, "My guys said a mid-bulk went south 'bout five hours ago. Looks like it was heading towards Beaumonde."

The coldness of the woods really made everything feel so different..

"Could be anywhere," Choo remarked "Pers and Boro are in nearly the exact same orbit. 'The Meeting of the Rim' they call it, happens every few decade or so. Lots more reasons to get drunk."

"AND Kaylee decided to re design the engine this afternoon," said Zoe "take at least a day or two to get back togther."

"Don't look too good..." said Fly. "Thought we were supposed to be having some R & R."

"'Best laid Plans of Mice and Men'," Choo said, coldness creeping in.

"That and were on the edge of space....could be anything out there..." 13 said.

"Thought i told you not to mention those?" shot Zoe, "Got enough to worry about..." Un-seen she flicked the safety off. Couldn't be too prepared...

"There she blows." remarked Fly. On the crest of a distant hill a dark, menacing shape loomed high, yet light spilling from the open cargo bay and Nav lights blinked on and off. Warming, comforting.

"No place like home." said 13 wheerily.
-------------
Mal wasn't that impressed. Yes Kaylee had cleaned and catolgued all the removable engine parts. And yes she had a list (shiny hat...think of shiny hat...), but NOW wasn't the best time to do it. Even with JR, Sybill and the Shepard helping, it looked messy. REAL messy.

"24 hours MAX cap'n." said Kaylee, covered head to toe in grease and cleaning stuff, "just need anther 24 hours."

God sh'd perfected that "too cute to say no" face, BUT: " is that with or without sleep?" Mal said, trying to sound as authoritive as possible.

Kaylees smile disappeared and she looked at her feet. Mal instantly regretted doing that.."Just need one more miracle" Kaylee he said, giving her a small hug.

Turning away he watched Wash trying to carry Jayne to his bunk, clearly out of breath. But before he could shout something, Mal was down the stairs, heading for the infirmary, nearly falling over River. At the bottom of the stairs he came apon a face he hadn't seen before...

"Do i know you?" asked Mal...

-----------------------------

TRAIN!!!

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Saturday, September 30, 2006 3:21 PM

Following River up the stairs, hoping she was leading him towards her brother, Nico encountered a man who whole look and self-assurance screamed captain. When asked if he was known, Nico's response was simple (at least to start with).

"It's unlikely. Although given I can't remember anything of the past few weeks, possibly even a month, we may have met somewhere prior to now. Anyway, if not, my name's Nico. I take it you must be the captain. Zoe said I should talk to you about gaining passage onboard Serenity."

This was what it all came down to. If Mal allowed him to stay onboard, he might be able to get home. If not, he'd have to look elsewhere for a way off this ball of rock. He fought to keep his nerves in check, hoping the answer would be in his favour.

**************
If you find yourself getting too worked up about stuff that isn't real (RP Threads etc), then go outside, breathe in some fresh air and try feeding the ducks. (Because ducks don't care about your politics, religion, skin colour, choice of music or even your haircut. They like everyone, provided you bring them food.)

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Sunday, October 1, 2006 4:50 PM

Mal hesitated in his headlong rush towards the infirmary. "Nico."

He looked the stranger up and down. "Can't remember, huh. Seems to be a mighty common occurance around here today. Can you pay?"

Mal waited a second for the answer and then shook his head, "Don't matter. We ain't the kinda folks to leave a man stranded. You do as your told, live by my rules, we'll get you somewhere safe. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got some crew to see to."

With that, he pressed past the man and headed straight for the infirmary. The door was shut and the shutters were drawn. He started to open the door but Inara's voice from behind stopped him. "Mal? Wait. Simon's fixing her up."

"'nara." Mal turned towards her, saw Szatsu standing behind her. "What the hell happened?"

"We don't know. And neither does she." Inara swallowed nervously, repulsion and fear on her face, "Mal, she's been raped and beaten. Pain was nowhere to be seen."

"Could be he done this." Jayne leaned unsteadily against the corridor frame, looking somewhat beaten himself, but his blue eyes were clear steel, "Pain's got a temper. Broke my nose that time for no gorram reason at all."

Mal looked to Jayne then back to Inara and shook his head. "No. No, that man would rather cut off his own hands than lay a finger on her. And I've felt like bustin' your nose a few times myownself."

"Worst part is that she doesn't know." Szatsu said quietly. "She doesn't remember anything. Told us her name was Sammy."

Mal started with recognition and then nodded in understanding. His voice was quiet with distant memory, "Yeah. Saw that a few times in the war. Folk come against something too horrible to live in, so they make themselves forget, because it's easier than living with it."

He glanced around at the crew that was gathering, "She thinks she's still Samantha, then that's who we let her be." Then he hesitated, "Just don't let her say it to the law."

---------------
Inside the Infirmary, Sammy clung to the blanket around her shoulders as Simon gently cleaned her up and stitched her head wound.

"That will leave a scar, I'm afraid." He smiled gently at her, but she couldn't smile back.

"Dr. Tam? I ...who's that?" She gestured to the man swathed in bandages lying nearby.

Simon graced her with an even wider smile, "Call me Simon. And that's Wolf. He got himself shot in the chest, something that I'm sure you would have approved of yesterday."

"I would have wanted a man shot?" She stared at the doctor in disbelief. This whole experience was starting to feel like one strange long nightmare. "No. I'm not...I'm a pacifist."

Simon glanced over his arm as he prepared a hypodermic, an amused half-smile on his face, "Well, yesterday, you wanted to shoot him yourself. Actually, for about the past week, you've advocated shooting him. Especially after the weapons locker."

Sammy stared at Simon and then at the haggard face of the gunshot man. She felt only sympathy for him. She didn't believe the doctor. There was no way that she would want someone dead.

OOC- Sorry, I know it's long and I have alot happen there...
So, here's an idea- what if Inara doesn't leave Serenity because of Mal, but because she takes Ertia to the training house temple to help her recover?

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Sunday, October 1, 2006 5:54 PM

OoC: It's your call. Oh, and this is going to be a tad long, so...just giving fair warning.

I slid the infirmary door open carefully, still not sure what state the patients were in. At the sight of a disheveled, yet physically fine Samantha, I let myself in.

"Doctor, how is-" My words seemed to die in my throat as I got my first good look at the ships's medic. At his eyes. I swallowed deeply, adding a rough cough for good measure.

Too occupied to notice my surprise, the doctor said, "She'll be fine, physically, at least. As for Wolf..." He shrugged, face buried in concentration. "He's been concious sporadically."

I nodded dumbly, unaware of how widely I was staring at him. He noticed.

"Are...you alright?" he asked, head set at a slight angle of medical concern. "You seem pale."

I smiled weakly. "Just...a little too much excitement."

He chuckled dryly, turning to examine Wolf. "Stay here awhile. Today's almost classifies as a slow night."

I was already gone.

* * * *

Simon. His name was Simon. Regan's eyes....

Not possible. It can't be him...can it? No...he's too old. Too old, it isn't possible. I must've only been fourteen or fifteen when he was born. I hadn't even met Regan Tam then.

But...

He has a sister. Saw her earlier, heard them talking about her. How old was she?

You've been out of the worlds too long. Jumping to conclusions. And, besides, what are the odds?

Stacked against me, that's what.

I sighed deeply, digging my hands through my hair.

"I can't believe this, I won't believe it," I whispered fiercely. "Besides, why would they even be here?"

"Who?" a voice prodded from the left of me. A girl's voice, pure and unlayered.

I turned slowly, nervously, to come face to face with a girl. No, not strictly a girl. She looked to be about...

"Seventeen," I whispered, shutting my eyes tight. And her eyes...they might as well have been mirrors.

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Sunday, October 1, 2006 5:56 PM

That's fine with me Ert...er Sammy and no need to apologize for the lengthy post.

*Pain woke up, grimacing a litte as needles of pain entered his skull. He glanced around and saw that he was in another room, bigger than the one he was held in. Pain got up slowly, looking around the room, then down at his hand. He could see that it was bandaged up and by the red spots, it was done very recently. Pain also realized he wasn't restrained either but out side he could hear two men talking. He couldn't understand what they were saying but he knew they must be the guards assigned to keep watch over him. Pain scanned the room, letting his mind take in the details when the door opened and Melanie stepped in, holding the hand of a girl, who to Pain looked like she was around seven or eight. Melanie saw Pain's look and said to him as the door closed behind her*

Pain I'd like you to meet someone who you've helped create.

*Pain tilted his head a little. His brain was a little fuzzy what with getting hit in the head and all. Pain looked at the little girl, her eyes brimming with innocence, then looked at Melanie and said*

I'm afraid I ain't understanin' what with gettin' pistol whipped and all.

*Melanie shook her head slightly and said*

Pain this is you daughter Annabelle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WWJD: What Would Jayne Do?

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Sunday, October 1, 2006 8:02 PM

Its fine E/S. And lengthy posts? b'ah! who doesn't like em

"You bring back anything special?" said Wash sarcasticly as the hunting party finally reached the warmth of the ship.

"How about a dead pet?" enquired Zoe.

"Wow..never gotten one of those before, we usually flush them down the pan at that stage..." Wash remarked with a wicked grin.

Choo, Fly and 13 walked passed Staz and River and headed for the infirmary, where the Captain and Inara were talking. All three noticed the infirmary was shut up tight.

"Evening Folks, Hows the Wandering Spirit?" remarked 13. Mal just shot him a look, leaving inara to explain: "Shes a little bit mixed up, still thinks shes-"

"Sammy? Thats all we got. Poor kid." said Choo.

"Any sigh of who did this too them?" Mal asked.

"None sir." said Zoe as she appeared behind the others."That was very quick Chloe." remarked Fly. Choo and 13 couldn't help but snigger while Zoe shot daggers, Mal just looked around with a wtf? look on his face.

"None sir," continued Zoe, "Not a single bullet or anything. Whoever they were, they knew what they were doing."

"Which doesn't help the question wher-" Mal was cut off by 13, who said in all seriously, "Beaumonde, my crew says their heading to Beaumonde. No idea why, but their heading in that direction."

Mal eyed 13 werrierly. He didn't like the mention of 13's crew, waiting at the edge, ready to pounch at any momnet and kill them all for River.

"I think thats the best news we've heard all evening," said Inara, trying to break the tension.

"Zoe, tell Wash to plot us the quickest course to Beaumonde," Mal ordered "Someone might want to apoligise to John's Brother that were having to leaving early..."

OoC: If E/S is going to a Companion house, um, can we come along too? That, and can someone explain who Sammy and Melinda are???

-----------------------------

TRAIN!!!

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Sunday, October 1, 2006 10:03 PM

ooc: Oh! Sorry! he clues are all buried throughout the what? Twenty threads? Here's the short version.

Ertia's history- She was born Samantha Ertia. On becoming a super-hacker working for Blue Sun, she married "Diggs" Diggory- becoming Samantha Diggory.

They became part of an underground movement to uncover the darker side of BlueSun, but were betrayed by a friend.

She and the others were offered bargains, what became known in their lexicon as the choice between heaven and hell. Give up everything they were, everything they knew: names, code, secrets; have their memories drug-altered, and go on living: Heaven. Or accept life in prison, buried under layers of lies to turn their families and friends against them: hell.

Sammy & Diggs* chose hell- She was sent to a secure facility. He was sent to a labor camp and died there. After she learned of Digg's death, Sammy escaped from prison.
Everyone she knew and loved was gone, her own family had turned their backs on her. After her escape, she returned to her maiden name- Ertia, although she has a large supply of hacked identities and changes them often.

-I'll let you see if you can work out why the trauma induced memory loss is an important development at this juncture. ;)

Melinda is Pain's ex-girlfriend. He was supposed to be working and got distracted by his target's daughter. Needless to say, when he did the job, Melinda was none to happy about it. She and her twin sister tried to take Serenity a few threads back, and failed, and her twin sister lost her life in the attempt, (YAH, NICE TRY YOu PSYCHOTIC BIT...chrUHHh...) Uh...what was I saying? Oh, yeah. So this side-plot has been coming a while, I think.

As to the training house, I'd just tossed that out as one idea for why Inara might be there when the Operative shows up, since we aren't going "bad dark Mal" on the storyline.

*or did he? Hells seemed to indicate otherwise during the Coin job.

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Monday, October 2, 2006 12:22 PM

OOC: Is Oath sayin' what I think he's sayin'!? Oh, and

BUMP

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Tuesday, October 3, 2006 7:58 AM

*Pain was caught off guard by what Melanie just said about who the little girl was. He thought to himself*

I have a daughter? Since when did I...Oh go se!

*Pain didn't know what to say but replied*

I have a daughter?

*Melanie sighed and said*

Yes Pain you do.

*Melanie bent down to Annabelle and said*

Go over and say hi to daddy pumpkin.

*Melanie looked up at Pain and said*

You're not going to hurt her are you?

*Pain replied*

I don't hurt children, especially one's that I don't know.

*Melanie smiled and said as she gave Annabelle a little push in Pain's direction*

Well you've got plenty of time to know her now.

*Annabelle ran over to Pain shouting*

DADDY!!

*Pain felt her run into him, huggging his waist tight. He looked at Annabelle clinging to his waist, then at Melanie, then back at Annabelle. Pain wasn't very familiar with kids and didn't know how to react around them. Hesitantly Pain lowered an arm and patted Annabelle on the head, ruffling up the girl's hair, while giving Melanie a "What the hell do I do now" look.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WWJD: What Would Jayne Do?

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Tuesday, October 3, 2006 8:56 AM

WARNING: Long, post coming up!!! That has nop relation to ANYTHING

Sometime later...
"You alright sir?" asked Zoe. Mal stood in the middle of the field, looking up at the stars.

"N'ah, i'm fine Zoe." Mal said as he continued to ponder. The stars slowly flashed away, "Just wondering..."

"Anything in particular?" Zoe enquired.

"Just got a feeling Zoe, a strange feeling in my gut..." Mal said.

"Maybe you should lay off Kaylee's Brew sir?" Zoe said.

"Yeah maybe i should do that..." Mal said with a smile.

"That and meet the new guy i brought aboard," Zoe muttered quietly.

"Already meet him!" Mal said loudly, smirk on his face. "Nice guy. Seems a bit...Misplaced, but hey, we already got a few of those..."

Meanwhile the galley was heaving, the ships mechanics had decided to take a coffee break, and everyone was talking at once, mostly concerning Erita's condition.

"This is the last time i ask if anyone wants coffee." Choo said working the coffee maker.

"Think of it this way, if business is THIS good, we could rival BlueSunBucks!" Wash remarked, refilling people's cans. "Anyway, how's things in the boiler room Kaylee? Gonna meet the captains deadline"

"Gonna be close, but were making good progress." the young, grease covered mechanic said. "Good to have more than one person helping. Although if i'd known this was going to happen..."

"You didn't." said Choo "None of us did. Thought it was going to be a quiet break i - oh..."

Erita/Sammy stood in the doorway. Mouth trying to form words. Everyone was quiet as the women looked lost, alone and scared. All these unkown faces. Inara and Simon hovered over from the gangway, just in case... Everyone was silent. Not sure what to do....

Finally Sam spoke up and asked: "Could i get a drink?"

Setting Some more cups on the side Choo said "Sure, thing. No need to ask... Wash, make the young lady a drink."

-----------------------------

TRAIN!!!

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Tuesday, October 3, 2006 1:42 PM

Sammy stared around her; everyone was smiling reassuringly, sympathetically, like they cared.

The blond haired one that someone had called Wash... Wash? Like... with soap? pressed a hot cup into her hand.

"Sugar, vanilla and cream...well...kinda cream. Just like you like it." He grinned at her, proud at himself for remembering her favorite coffee.

Tentatively, she sipped at it and sighed as it's warmth soothed her. It was perfect. "Thank you. I'm sorry...I don't mean to be rude."

"Oh, you aren't, sweetie." The bright eyed girl with the grease on her hands pulled out a chair. Her smile was bright and sweet and Sammy found herself smilin' back. "Here! You sit down and rest."

Sammy looked around her at friendly concerned faces and took another sip of her coffee. Gorram that was good! "I... I'm sorry. Dr. Tam... Simon..." She corrected himself as he raised his hand to correct her, "says I've been on this ship a while and that you all are my friends."

She shook her head slowly, trying to ignore the pain that shot down her bruised neck and throat. "He told me I might start to remember, or I might not. If you can all just bear with me..."
Tears welled up and spilt over, "I'm afraid we'll have to start over again."

"Hell, E." The huge man with the bulging muscles and the pig-sticker of a knife strapped to his hip shrugged, "We should all get so lucky to start over again once in a while."

Then he leaned across the table, extending one strong hand, "I'm Jayne Cobb. Pleasure to meet ya, Sammy."

From the dead silence and astonished looks surrounding her, Sammy guessed that this wasn't what most anyone had expected.

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Tuesday, October 3, 2006 1:58 PM

Almost everyone seemed to be in the galley, which suited Nico just fine, as it meant less chance of being interrupted or forced to socialise. Having been allocated a bunk in the rear of the ship and given a quick tour (as well as a list of where he was and wasn't allowed to roam), he paused, trying to prioritise.

The itching whiskers on his face came first. Using a borrowed blade, he looked at his reflection in the dull mirror as it slowly started looking more like what he remembered it as. Running his fingertips across the clean-shaven skin, he felt a bit more like his old self, but there was still quite a ways to go yet.

With the beard gone, the next item on the agenda was to remove the dirt, dust and other substances that had bevome ingrained in his skin after weeks without bathing. As he cleaned himself, he wondered if he should do anything about his hair. He'd always kept it fairly short in his youth (one less way for the bullies to grab hold), but once he'd entered the university he'd allowed it to grow out somewhat. Cropping it short was an possibility, but given his options (and lack of multiple mirrors to get the back even), if he was going to cut it, he'd have to do a Riddick and borrow (well, steal) some engine grease and use that to help shave his head. Discounting that option, he simply flattened it down a bit, which would do for now.

Since he didn't have any spare clothing, he would have to survive in his raggedy outfit for a while longer, although having cleaned some of the dirt and vomit stains out if it meant it was serviceable, until something better came along.

Standing in the middle of his small room, he ran through the various stretching exercises he knew, working the knots and strains out of his muscles. Wincing as his back and knees popped every now and then, he continued to work through the exercises until fatigue over-came him and he dropped onto his bunk and slept a rather contented sleep.

**************

If you find yourself getting too worked up about stuff that isn't real (RP Threads etc), then go outside, breathe in some fresh air and try feeding the ducks. (Because ducks don't care about your politics, religion, skin colour, choice of music or even your haircut. They like everyone, provided you bring them food.)

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Tuesday, October 3, 2006 8:17 PM

Slowly everyone introduced themselves, seemingly following Jayne's lead (wow!....that felt weird.. :p)

"So what can i get everyone's favorite Doctor?" asked Wash as Simon came over to the improvised 'bar'.

"Coffee would be nice." asked Simon, tiredness showing across his face "Something strong. VERY strong."

"Too many graveyard shifts?" said Choo.

"No, i should be used to them. Once did a 40 hour shift in surgery. About as much fun as... oh.."

"Watching Jayne eat?" Wash jumped in.

Simon brigthened up a bit at that, "yeah, sometimes dream jobs can get a bit tedious..."

"Suppose being one of those fancy Companions doesn't get tedious." Choo remarked sarcastically, "Same three letter word, over and over again. Green Tea?"

"That would be nice." said Inara with a smile, turning to the Doc she asked: "How do you think she's getting on?"

"Hard to say," said Simon as the words 'He's got a statue!!' rolled over the room "From what i can tell, its a combination of both things, mentally and physically. Doing this much damage is almost in-human, yet, well..." A concerned look came across everyone's face. Ship had found a survivor before, and hopefully never again.

"Hopefully Pain will be alright," said Wash "god only knows what he's going through..."

-----------------------------

TRAIN!!!

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Wednesday, October 4, 2006 6:31 AM

Sammy tried to smile as people shook her hand, said their names.... she knew she wouldn't remember them all and would have to ask again.

Her head was pounding and there was too much laughter. She tried to follow some of the conversations and jokes but ... There was too much chaos.

The woman with the insect name... Fly...that was it, dropped into a chair beside her, slinging her hip holster over the back of it with the ease of long practice. "Heya, girl. How you doin'?"

She tried to think about it for a long moment, "Not good."

At that moment a bit of conversation drifted over the room.

"Hopefully Pain will be alright, god only knows what he's going through..."

She realized that Fly was looking at her with curious intensity and held her hands up, trying to hide the bruises, "Who's Pain? Do I know him?"

"Yeah." Fly nodded sadly, "Yeah, ya do, sis. Why don't you get some rest and we can talk when you're feeling better."

Sammy stood up, looking around the unfamiliar room. "Ummm...where do I sleep?"

---------------
Thirty thousand miles away

Parliamentary Report:
Operative Code;
Have traced objective to Persephone.
Will pursue.
Secrets have been preserved.

End Code

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Wednesday, October 4, 2006 6:44 AM

BIGWOLF18

*wolf spluttered in the infermary, his eyes slammed open and his claws shot out and he jummped up off the cold steel table. wolf jumped onto the floor and imediatly regreted it, pain shot through his torso. he stumbled out and sat down in the lounge area, he imeadiatly fell asleep.*

bump

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

we are THE FORSAKEN and we aim to burn!

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Wednesday, October 4, 2006 9:03 AM

Onboard the Tiger Claw

*Melanie looked at Pain and said*

Well are you going to hug your daughter or not?

*Pain still didn't know what to do. He ran a few scenarios in his head as he got to his knees and hugged the girl. Should he use this girl that he's only known for an hour as a hostage, demand a shuttle and then what? Fly back to the planet he was on, knowing full well that he'd be tracked and possibly blown up? He didn't know if this ship was armed or not. Although knowing the last ship that was Melanie's was armed, he couldn't rule out the fact that THIS one was armed as well. No Pain would play along, perhaps find a way to contact Serenity or plot an escape, either while onboard the ship or when and if they landed dirtside on a planet.*

*Then Pain thought*

If I escape do I leave the girl with Melanie or take her with me?

*Pain put that thought aside as he let go of Annabelle, stood up and said to Melanie*

So was this what you kidnapped me for? To tell me that I have a daughter or was that only part of the reason?

*Melanie ushered Annabelle over to her and said to her daughter*

Bao bei why don't you go play in your room. Your daddy and I have to do some grown up talking. Dong ma?

*Annabelle looked into her mother's eyes then at her father's, and said as she returned her attention back to her mother*

Ok mommy. Mommy is daddy going to be staying with us?

*Melanie looked up at Pain then said to hher daughter*

That all depends on your father baby. Run along now ok?

*Annabelle hugged her mother, then walked over to the door and opened it. She looked at both her mother and father and said before she left*

I hope daddy stays with us forever.

*Pain watched as his daughter left, then turned to Melanie and said*

She's a sweet little kid Melanie, but that still doesn't mean I'm goin' to be stayin' here.

*Melanie walked over to Pain, her eyes never leaving his. She kept her hand on the tranq gun as she said*

Oh yes it does Pain. You two have a lot of catching up to do and I expect that you do so. Now it's true that part of the reason I kidnapped you was for you to see your daughter.

*Pain interrupted and said*

And what's the other part Melanie? Cause I'd really like to know.

*Melanie came even closer, putting a hand on the back of Pain's neck. Her lips were a few millimeters from his as she looked into his eyes and said*

The other part of my reason is...because I wanted to see you again.

*Melanie brought Pain's lips to her's and kissed him. Pain could feel her tongue part his lips as he put his hands on her waist. Pain tightened his grip on Melanie's waist, ellicting a groan from Melanie, then used his strength to push her away from him. He said to her as she fell to the ground*

You have a funny way of reasonin' there Melanie. Just cause we have a child together don't mean I still like you. Hell I wish I never made the mistake of lovin' you.

*Melanie got up and said angerily as she aimed her tranq gun at Pain*

You may not have feelings for me Pain but you're not leaving this ship either. You will be a part of your daughter's life whether you want to or not.

*Melanie took the com from her belt and said into it*

Guards escort Pain back to his room ma shong!

*On cue the door opened and two armed guards stepped in and aimed their guns at Pain. The one on the left said to Pain*

Move it!

*Pain put his hands up and walked slowly past Melanie as the he made his way to the guards. Melanie had a hateful look in her eyes as she watched Pain pass her. She muttered something to him and then roundhouse kicked Pain in the back of the head. Pain felt the heel of a booted foot hit him in the back of the head then fell to the ground, smacking his head hard on the floor, knocking him unconscious. The two armed men chuckled then took Pain by the arms and proceeded to drag him back to his room.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WWJD: What Would Jayne Do?

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Wednesday, October 4, 2006 12:38 PM

Manly, forthright, and frank man that I am, I fled from the girl, trying to push that whole business to the back of my head. I'd sort it out later, once everything had...stabilized.

Did everything always have to be so complicated? I mean, honestly! I'd left behind Osiris, left behind the old Szatsu Niccolo for a new life in the stars, and who do I run into? The very reason that I left in the first place.

I dropped into a chair in the lounge when my foot struck something hard. I looked down to see an unconscious man with steel blades emerging from his arm. I shrugged, and settled my feet comfortably over his head, my eyes slipping closed.

Seventeen Years Ago - Tam Estate, Osiris...

"What about Gabriel?" Regan's breath on my throat as she drew closer.

"What about him?"

She takes a tentative step back, looking up into my eyes. "He'll find out, you know."

"Let him. Does it really matter so much if he finds out?"

She casts her head down, considering. Always considering, that was Regan. "It's everything. If he finds out..."

"If it happens, it happens. We’ll deal with it.”

Strangely, her eyes tear. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Be with me. We’ll come out when the time comes, when it’s right for both of us.”

Gabriel himself was at a board meeting at the time. He always seemed to be at a board meeting, Regan told me with a familiar sigh later that night. I knew she still loved him, but he wasn’t what she needed.

Two days after that night, Regan waved me. She told me that she was pregnant. I told her she was wrong, that it couldn’t be true because it just couldn’t. She asked me if I would come tomorrow, and I promised I would and that I loved her. End transmission.

I don’t know how Regan convinced Gabriel the baby was his; I’m not sure if I want to know. I’d already left the day after the wave on a flight to Angel. Apparently she wasn’t what I needed, although a selfish bastard like me has nothing but himself, and deserves nothing less.

OoC: Hope that didn’t sound too clichéd… Eh. Whatever. Made my point.

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Wednesday, October 4, 2006 2:12 PM

AWESOME backstory, Oath!

Sammy stared around her at the faces that blanched and looked away. "What did I say?"

The painkillers the doctor had given her were wearing off and she hurt. Everything hurt.

"Ummm.."Kaylee finally stepped forward, "You been sharin' Pain's bunk for a while now."

Sammy's brain raced for a long moment. She was married! She had a husband! One who loved her. Who the hell was Pain? And why would she be sharing his bunk?

Her gaze went to her hand, to her wedding ring. Or rather to where her wedding ring had been. Her finger was bare, and not so much as a white ring to show where it had been.

She said the only thing she could. "Oh."

Then she simply passed out, falling backwards as Choo and Wash dashed forward to catch her.

"We can take her to my bunk." Kaylee suggested quietly, gnawing at her lower lip in a most adorable manner, "She stayed with me when her bunk got blown up that time."

"Good thinking, Kaylee." Simon dropped a hand on the mechanics shoulder, not thinking, and then jerked it back when she stepped away from him. He took a deep breath and continued, "She shouldn't be alone right now, anyway."

"Someone should fetch her things from Pain's bunk." Simon suggested, "And check for spare shoes. The ones she was wearing had blood on them. I thought it would be better to throw them out."

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Wednesday, October 4, 2006 4:39 PM

I agree with Ertia on that Oath. Oh and Ertia did I mention that I like it when you're on top of me?

*The two guards drug Pain into his room and dropped him on the ground. One of them took Pain's right arm and put it in a shackle. After that the man walked over to Pain's stomach and gave him a hearty kick. The two men chuckled and were about to leave when the second man hawked some phlegm onto Pain's face. The two men resumed their chuckling as the closed the door behind them and stood guard outside of Pain's room.*

Meanwhile elsewhere on the Tiger Claw

*Annabelle heard her mother walk into her room and turned around. She tilted her head and said*

Mommy where's daddy?

*Melanie replied*

He's in his room dear.

*Annabelle said in a quizical tone*

Why?

*Melanie smiled at her daughter, bent down, hugged her and said*

Daddy was mean to mommy so he had to go to his room.

*Annabelle sniffed and said*

Is he in time out?

*Melanie nodded her head and said*

Yeah babe he's in time out.

In Pain's Room

*Pain, unconscious and unaware, laid there on the floor, dreaming of Ertia.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WWJD: What Would Jayne Do?

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Wednesday, October 4, 2006 6:46 PM

OoC: Much appreciated, you two. I wasn't sure if the Szatsu-River thing would take.

And dear God does Pain get beaten on! Phlegm and everything! Jeez...

I awoke sometime later, yet not too late, to notice that my footrest had disappeared. And that the sister was peering down at me.

I jumped, scowling, and avoided looking directly at her.

"So," I said simply, stonily watching the floor. "I'll need something to call you, as often as we seem to run into each other."

"River!" Simon's voice intruded, the good doctor materializing behind his sister. He gently grasped her arm, leading her away. "You shouldn't bother the passengers," he said. It was a two-layered statement. On the surface, he was telling his sister 'don't bother the nice man honey', while just beneath that was 'he might be dangerous, so just be careful.'

"Sorry," Simon said. "She tends to sneak around a bit." He appeared guilty, quickly adding, "But not in a bad way."

"Gets it from her father, I imagine," I muttered. "So, how's Samantha?"

Either choosing to not hear my first comment or simply ignoring it, Simon replied, "She's asleep, but I wouldn't call it an easy one."

I nodded with understanding. I'd known more than my share of uneasy sleeps.

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Wednesday, October 4, 2006 7:04 PM

OoC: Not meaning to nitpick, but is there proof as to who river's biological father is? Or would it make for better story-telling to leave it ambiguous? Anyway, just my 2 credits worth.

**************

If you find yourself getting too worked up about stuff that isn't real (RP Threads etc), then go outside, breathe in some fresh air and try feeding the ducks. (Because ducks don't care about your politics, religion, skin colour, choice of music or even your haircut. They like everyone, provided you bring them food.)

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Wednesday, October 4, 2006 8:05 PM

very, very intersting.

Giving a good yawn, Choo trundled down the stairs towards his dorm. He noticed River laying on the couch watching Staz and Simon speak.

"Morning." Choo said as he walked over.

"Its not that early is it?" asked Simon, a little bit shocked.

"According to the ships computer its about 2am local time." Choo remarked, heading of to his bed. "Oh and, and Zoe reliazed this, but the new guy has only got the clothes on his back so.."

"I'll have a look in the morning." Simon said, then realized something, "i mean later today."

"Same here." remarked Staz, a little lost in thought...

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TRAIN!!!

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Thursday, October 5, 2006 3:28 AM

Quote:
OoC: Not meaning to nitpick, but is there proof as to who river's biological father is? Or would it make for better story-telling to leave it ambiguous? Anyway, just my 2 credits worth.

OoC: I haven't decided. Maybe I'll pull a Maury...

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Thursday, October 5, 2006 5:47 AM

http://h1.ripway.com/Ertia/images/firefly/fantymingo1.JPG

Fanty: "Well, the take is ripe. We just need the right crew."

Mingo: "Not the Walden again. They're unreliable."

Fanty: "Badger's crew?"

Mingo: *curling up his lip and frowning* "Badgers a psychotic lowlife. He could do the job, but I don't want to share profit with him."

Fanty: "And he's not pretty."

Mingo: "Neither are you."

Fanty: "But I'm the pretty one, remember. Brother, what dya say to bringin' in someone new? I hear that there's a Firefly, did some work for Badger a while back."

Mingo: "They ran afoul of Adelai Niska. Can't imagine there's much left but pieces."

Fanty: *turning cortex screen to show Space Station breaking up with Serenity going to full-burn just below* "I can honestly say I don't think that's the case."

Mingo: *Wide, wicked grin* "Well, well. We may just have found the right folks for the job. I may be the pretty one, but you're the one with the brains."

Fanty just winks at Mingo. "I'll ring up a few contacts, see if we can get word out we're looking for a Firefly...one that glows."

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Thursday, October 5, 2006 5:48 AM

Sammy woke to darkness broken only by twinkling holiday lights.

Was it Christmas? It didn't feel like Christmas. She rolled over, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light.

"Heya girl." A woman's soft voice nearby.

Fly.

"Doc said you shouldn't be alone, so I thought I'd stay while you slept."

"Where am I?"

The woman smiled, warm and sweet and mysterious, "Oh, Sammy. You're home. You're on Serenity."

"Serenity." Sammy repeated the word softly, but sleep was coming again. She had a vague feeling that horrible dreams had plagued her and she didn't want to sleep, but she was so tired. As she drifted off again, she mumbled, "Serenity...sounds...nice."

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Thursday, October 5, 2006 8:22 AM

OoC:Anyone mind if i do a quick bit of boring back story? well, if you do, mind this post, if you don't read on and THEN jump to the next post! :p
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white. A lot can kind of make a man go mad. Really mad, completly bonkers mad. Madder than the mad hatter at a mad hatter convention. Kind of like the mountain range Choo, and his fellow buddies stood on. All the jagged edges were covered in a layer of white snow. Dayton coloney's finest landmark...well, until now...

"Cushty." Jones said, staring at the completly white 'Hugh's Peak', "Four week job at a listening post. Easy."

Choo stared around at the others. The last ten days had been hell, and yet Jones could still mumble on. Out of the twenty five that had gone in, Jones, Marcus, Spud and himself were the only ones left. The others....well...only god truely knows what made adult men and women do that...

"Sure you laid the explosives out correctly spud." said commander Marcus, "'Cause if you havn't..."

"I know...i....know...." muttered Spud. The guy had been really shaken up by the mission. Yeah, THATS the kind of man you put in charge of blowing up thirty floors of an underground 'listening post', Choo thought to himself.

"Good. Been a pleasure surving with you all gentlemen," Marcus said as he pressed the button on the remote.

In the distance Hugh's peak exploded like a firework. The expolsion tore away part of the mountain, sending it into a thousand pieaces. Suddenly the whole mountain range was littered as a shockwave of rocks and debris came straight towards the group and the black ingulfed them finally.

Choo's eyes suddenly shot open. His heart pounding 100 to a dozen. After a while he realized where he was. Getting close again. God what he'd give to know what was really going on up that sodding mountain...yet...

"In the past, its in the past." he mumbled to himself....

Giving a sigh Choo rolled over and went back to sleep.

"in the past..."

-----------------------------

TRAIN!!!

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Thursday, October 5, 2006 9:14 AM

I didn't mind Choo.

Somewhere out in the Black onboard the Tiger Claw

*Pain continued to dream of Ertia as he laid there on the cold floor of his room. His dreams of her were nice, focusing on all the good times they had. Pain's face twitched as a smile formed on his face, as he relived the time Ertia and him shared the jacuzzi back on Londinium.*

Meanwhile

The voice on the com woke Melanie up from a dream. She got up from her bed and walked over to the com, pressed the button and said*

Pilot repeat what you just said.

*The pilot responded over the com*

Yes ma'am Captain. I'm picking up a ship on long range sensors following us. From the scans it looks to be heavily armed, probably a military vessel of some sort. Should I deploy the Cub?

*The Cub was a modified NavSat Transmitter fitted with an exact copy of the Tiger Claw's transponder. The Tiger Claw held several Cubs in the lower cargo hold, each one could be launched separately or altogether. Melanie sighed and replied*

Go ahead and deploy it, just remember to turn off the ship's transponder when you activate the Cub. I'll be on the bridge in a few minutes.

*The pilot replied over the com*

Understood Captain.

*Melanie clicked off the com and walked over ornate wooden dresser at the other side of her room, opened a drawer, and took out a silk kimono. She put it on over her bra and panties, tying the sash tight around her waist. She then took the small pistol in its holster and strapped it to one of her smooth thighs within easy reach. Satisfied that she was decent, Melanie exited her room and headed for the bridge.*

Outside of the Tiger Claw

*The lower cargo hold doors opened and an object the size and shape of a standard 55 gallon oil drum silently left the cargo hold. Lights blinked on as it was activated and small thrusters mounted to its exterior came to life, sending the Cub away from its mother. Melanie like the pilot hoped that whoever was following them would take the bait. If not then Melanie would order the gunners to activate the Tiger Claw's weapon systems and fire at the tailing ship.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WWJD: What Would Jayne Do?

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Thursday, October 5, 2006 12:18 PM

OOC: Ah, the Animinaru's back in action, I see. Let's hope Chiko and the boys haven't been slackin' off.

Now, what with the whole Operative transmission and the Fanty/Mingo delightment (I like the twins) I'm assuming we're doing the movie with a slightly different storyline?

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Thursday, October 5, 2006 1:26 PM

Well, the basic storyline will stay the same, but we ain't killin' anybody (cept maybe that b...Melanie...oh, but that would leave Pain's daughter without a mommy. Non-optimal. hmmm), we'll have to adjust for our current storylines, but since E already knew and worked with Mr. U...I'm guessing he was one of the H or H crowd, then we already have the contact there.

The screams woke her and it was a long moment of Fly shaking her by the shoulders before she realized it was her that was screaming.

"Night terrors." Fly assured her quietly, "I used ta get 'em alot. You get past 'em."

"I heard screamin. You alright?" Kaylee's bunk hatch propped open and Mal dropped down.

She couldn't speak, just shake her head. Mal's expression shifted from alarm to concern, but when he started towards the bunk, she pushed back as far into the corner as she could.

Who was he? Something familiar in that grey gaze, the way it swept her features. But she didn't know him. Then he spoke again, and she recognized the voice on the com, "Heya, mei mei. Havin' bad dreams?"

A nod. Wide eyed.

"s'alright. Bound to happen." Mal stopped, hand on the ladder, his gaze flowing between Fly and Sammy. "Think you ladies can get some breakfast started? Engine-room crew never slept, and I doubt they've had more than Choo's brew to keep 'em goin."

The gunwoman nodded, pushing to her feet and holding out a hand to Sammy,"Yessir. We're on it."

Sammy looked wide eyed between them for a moment. "I... can I cook? I mean... do I cook?"

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Thursday, October 5, 2006 2:34 PM